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Nomination for National Register of Historic Places

Eastgate Station, State Route 722 - the Lincoln Highway.  Photo courtesy of Cindy Ainsworth

Reported by Cindy Ainsworth:   The Lincoln/Victory Highways in Nevada --- An important development has taken place concerning the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).  The Cultural Resources office of NDOT has completed what is known as the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Multiple Property Documentation Forms (MPDF) for the Lincoln and Victory Highway across Nevada. These provide the historic context statements of the overall development of the Nevada segments of the Lincoln and Victory Highway. 

 

A NDOT press release stated that “With the completion of this five-year project, the NDOT Cultural Resources team has set the standard for work conducted from the California state line to the Utah state line, not only for NDOT but for every federal agency and Cultural Resources contractor working in the state of Nevada, resulting in money savings and significant time savings moving forward.”  This is a significant development also for the Nevada Chapter as it will make working with NDOT much easier when for instance we need to identify significant Lincoln Highway sites or routes when marking the highway with new signage or interpretive plaques.

 

More importantly, as the result of this documentation, the SHPO has concurred on two of NDOT’s national register nominations and the submitted determinations of eligibilities on many segments of these highways.  The SHPO concurred that 1.) Carroll Summit Roadbed Segment nomination --- that the "17.5 mile segment of the Lincoln Highway that extends from Eastgate at the western terminus and an unnamed road 0.4 miles east of Campbell Creek Ranch at the eastern terminus should be nominated.  The nomination contains three contributing resources: the road segment, the Carroll service station and a complex of buildings at Eastgate." 2.) Victory Highway Pequop Summit Roadbed nomination --- "for a 3.2 segment of the Victory Highway that extends from approximately 0.5 miles southwest of the maintenance station at Interstate 80 exit 376 to the top of Pequop Summit in the vicinity of Oasis.

 

As of this writing, NDOT is still working with the SHPO on the two nominations which will hopefully be submitted to the National Park Service’s officials for their review as possible National Register of Historic Places candidates.

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If you would like read the MPDF’s here are the links:

MPDF_LincolnHwy Carson to Utah.pdf

 

MPDF_VictoryHwy.pdf

Eastgate Station Carroll Summit Route 722.JPG

Dog Valley Auto Tour – October 1, 2016. Reported by Brian Suen

The Nevada Chapter auto tour of an old section of the Lincoln Highway from Verdi to Truckee was planned, organized and led by Mike and Mary Ann Mooney and Chad and Anita Hicks. Jim Bonar provided historical commentary along the way. These are some photographs from the tour.

The tour began in the Boomtown parking lot and proceeded to South Verdi Road at the intersection of Cabela Drive. A short walk to the overlook gave us a view of the remnants of the footings for the old wooden Lincoln Highway bridge that use to span over the railroad tracks. Unfortunately the bridge had burned down during a lightning storm in 2010. To see what the bridge looked like before the destruction follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6svncQeN2FY

From here we could see the foundations of the other bridge that once existed over another set of railroad tracks leading to the metal bridge still spanning over the Truckee River.

Passing through the old lumber town of Verdi the caravan ventured up Bridge Street and crossed over the one lane bridge at the Truckee River and onto Dog Valley Road. That led us to the California-Nevada border and the monument (a cast iron obelisk) to the 1872 state boundary marker and site of the old Crystal Peak logging and mill settlement (1864 – 1869). The road now became the unpaved Henness Pass Road snaking up the mountain side pass campgrounds. At what is known as the First Summit, the Lincoln Highway did not descend north into Dog Valley which was the original wagon trail of the 19th century. Several blacksmiths were located in Dog Valley to service the wagons heading west over the Sierra Nevada. Instead the Lincoln Highway ventured south and west along the Second Summit toward Truckee. At one time the Lincoln Highway went through what is the Stampede Reservoir but now that pathway is under water.

The Dog Valley Road name reappears and the route continues pass what is now Prosser Creek Reservoir and on into Truckee. The tour ended after about three hours at Village Pizzeria in Truckee for lunch. All the 14 intrepid explorers enjoyed the friendly camaraderie and sharing the scenic venture enhanced by a better knowledge of the local and highway history.

All that remains of the wooden bridge over the railroad tracks in Verdi are the footings.

Jim Bonar points to historical features along the 1913 route of the Lincoln Highway in Verdi, Nevada. Left to right, Bill von Tagen (Boise, Idaho), Mike Moony, Julia Berg, Jim Berg (back to camera), Connie Davis, Jim Bonar and Chester Ross.

The metal bridge (center of photo) over the Truckee River is still standing along Business Route 80 south of Verdi.

At the California-Nevada Boundary Monument on Dog Valley Road – Henness Pass Road.

Von Schmidt obelisk.

Chester Ross point out the California Trail marker.

Prosser Creek Reservoir

Tom and Connie Davis (foreground) chat with Bill Von Tagen and Chad Hicks on the right at the lookout over the Prosser Creek Reservoir.

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