As I mentioned in the last installment of this blog, there was a very early transportation corridor the lead west out of the Eagle Valley, where Carson City is located, and connected the area with California. It was originally a Washo Indian trail over the mountains. Beginning in the mid 1850s, prospectors began using the trai in ever increasing numbers in their quest for a new gold or silver find. When the Comstock Lode mining frenzy began in 1859, people came over the trail in droves to try their hand at the newfound gold and silver deposits in western Nevada.
Shortly after Nevada became a territory in 1861, the legislature authorized Alfred Helms and Butler Ives to make improvements to the well-worn footpath to handle the increasing transportation demands. They responded by building a road, called Kings Canyon Road and after the road was finished, in 1863, they began charging tolls for the use of the road. The tolls were removed in 1878 when another road farther south was constructed, but Kings Canyon Road remained the pathway of choice to most travelers in spite of the presence of another road nearby.
There was very little maintenance or improvements made to the road, despite its heavy use, until 1913, with the advent of the automobile. When one of America's first highways, the Lincoln Highway, was being planned, it was decided that Kings Canyon Road would be utilized as part of the highway's route. Immediately, improvements were made to make the rough road conducive to automobile traffic. When it was officially declared a federal highway, the Carson good Roads Association began placing markers on the road to guide travelers.
Traffic nearly stopped completely on this road in 1928 when U.S. Highway 50 was built through Clear Creek Canyon a few miles south. Highway 50 and Kings Canyon Road diverged at the apex of Spooner Summit, elevation 7,146 feet. This is about 2,500 feet above the floor of the Eagle Valley. Since then, U.S. Highway 50 has been re-routed and is now a modern, 4-lane, divided highway that carries alot of traffic.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Carson City Facts and Figures, 2
The east side of Carson City is sliced up by numerous canyons. These canyons include Eldorado, Brunswick, Sand, Hackett and Sullivan. Eldorado Canyon is on the eastern border of the city, lying half in Carson city and half in Lyon County. There are other canyons in this area also.
The west side of the city is heavily forested and climbs up into the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The highest point in the city is Snow Valley Peak, which rises to 9,214 feet above sea level. The west side of the city is mostly part of Humboldt National Forest, which covers 2 1/2 million acres and Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park, which covers over 14,000 acres on the Nevada side of that famous alpine lake. The east side, undeveloped area of Carson City has some dirt roads that leads to still active mines, abandoned mining roads that are being reclaimed by nature, primitive dirt tracks that penetrate the desert leading to nowhere in particular, dirt roads leading to private ranches and huge areas of roadless wilderness. The west side undeveloped area of the city is much the same in terms of roadless areas and primitive dirt tracks, but these are mountain roads instead of desert roads. The west side also has 2 busy highways, U.S. Highway 50, which runs along the southern edge of the city and State Highway 28, which runs along the shore of Lake Tahoe. Highway 50 is a very busy, 4-lane highway that provides the most direct access to Sacramento and the California Coast. however, it is also a steep and twisting mountain road that crosses and recrosses the boundary between Carson city and Douglas County several times in its torturous path through the mountains.
State Highway 28, on the far west side of Carson City, runs along the shore of Lake Tahoe for part of its run and then a few miles away from the lake farther south. Along this busy highway, there are a few tourist related businesses, but the development is small.
The far western edge of Carson City is in Lake Tahoe, all the way out to the California border in the middle of the lake. This makes Carson City one of only three state capital cities in the United States that border another state or country. Trenton, New Jersey borders Pennsylvania and Juneau, Alaska borders British Columbia, Canada.
The only road access from the handful of businesses along the lakeshore are along Highway 28 to its junction with Highway 50 four miles south of the city in Douglas County, then along Highway 50 as it winds its way through unpopulated mountain and forest. There is also a primitive dirt road, called Kings Canyon Road, that provides access to the main part of the city, but it is only negotiable by 4-wheel drive vehicles. I will have more to say on this historic road in an upcoming edition of this blog.
The west side of the city is heavily forested and climbs up into the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The highest point in the city is Snow Valley Peak, which rises to 9,214 feet above sea level. The west side of the city is mostly part of Humboldt National Forest, which covers 2 1/2 million acres and Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park, which covers over 14,000 acres on the Nevada side of that famous alpine lake. The east side, undeveloped area of Carson City has some dirt roads that leads to still active mines, abandoned mining roads that are being reclaimed by nature, primitive dirt tracks that penetrate the desert leading to nowhere in particular, dirt roads leading to private ranches and huge areas of roadless wilderness. The west side undeveloped area of the city is much the same in terms of roadless areas and primitive dirt tracks, but these are mountain roads instead of desert roads. The west side also has 2 busy highways, U.S. Highway 50, which runs along the southern edge of the city and State Highway 28, which runs along the shore of Lake Tahoe. Highway 50 is a very busy, 4-lane highway that provides the most direct access to Sacramento and the California Coast. however, it is also a steep and twisting mountain road that crosses and recrosses the boundary between Carson city and Douglas County several times in its torturous path through the mountains.
State Highway 28, on the far west side of Carson City, runs along the shore of Lake Tahoe for part of its run and then a few miles away from the lake farther south. Along this busy highway, there are a few tourist related businesses, but the development is small.
The far western edge of Carson City is in Lake Tahoe, all the way out to the California border in the middle of the lake. This makes Carson City one of only three state capital cities in the United States that border another state or country. Trenton, New Jersey borders Pennsylvania and Juneau, Alaska borders British Columbia, Canada.
The only road access from the handful of businesses along the lakeshore are along Highway 28 to its junction with Highway 50 four miles south of the city in Douglas County, then along Highway 50 as it winds its way through unpopulated mountain and forest. There is also a primitive dirt road, called Kings Canyon Road, that provides access to the main part of the city, but it is only negotiable by 4-wheel drive vehicles. I will have more to say on this historic road in an upcoming edition of this blog.
Carson City Facts and Figures
Until 1968, Carson City was the county seat of Ormsby County, the smallest county in Nevada. In that year, the state legislature merged the city and the county, creating special district status similar to Washington, D.C.'s status as the national capital. Washington, D.C. is in a federal district and is not part of any state. This means that Carson City is no longer part of any county, instead it is by itself. After this merger took place, the city government was given some unusual responsibilities that most municipal governments do not have. For example, there is no longer a city police force. The consolidated city is patrolled by the Carson City Sheriff;s Department. A sheriff's department is a county function. The city government has more authority than most city governments do because they also perform county functions.
Today, the city boundaries are the same as the extinct county's boundaries. Ormsby County, which was one of the first counties to created in Nevada, no longer exists. Carson City covers 146 square miles. This area is slightly larger than the area that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania covers, the nation's sixth largest city and almost exactly the same as the area of Portland, Oregon, a city with over half a million people. Most of the land within the boundaries of Carson City is undeveloped. This area consists of desert in the east and a lush forest of spruce and pine in the west. Most of the area within the city is roadless and another good-sized portion of the city is serviced only by primitive dirt tracks that lead to canyons, old mines or private ranches.
Of the 146 square miles that the city covers, only about 1/4 of it is developed, about 35 to 49 square miles. This area is in the middle of the city and extends between the northern and southern borders. This developed area encompasses the site of two other towns that once existed in the county--Empire City and Lakeview. There is little evidence of either town today since both areas have been overrun with housing developments.
Today, the city boundaries are the same as the extinct county's boundaries. Ormsby County, which was one of the first counties to created in Nevada, no longer exists. Carson City covers 146 square miles. This area is slightly larger than the area that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania covers, the nation's sixth largest city and almost exactly the same as the area of Portland, Oregon, a city with over half a million people. Most of the land within the boundaries of Carson City is undeveloped. This area consists of desert in the east and a lush forest of spruce and pine in the west. Most of the area within the city is roadless and another good-sized portion of the city is serviced only by primitive dirt tracks that lead to canyons, old mines or private ranches.
Of the 146 square miles that the city covers, only about 1/4 of it is developed, about 35 to 49 square miles. This area is in the middle of the city and extends between the northern and southern borders. This developed area encompasses the site of two other towns that once existed in the county--Empire City and Lakeview. There is little evidence of either town today since both areas have been overrun with housing developments.
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