Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.  

Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.  

Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass

Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works during its Centennial Edition.  The origin of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is stated to begin with the opening of Johnson's Pass in 1852.  Johnson's Pass was opened as an emigrant trail by Colonel J.B. Johnson between Carson Valley westward via a cutoff following the south shore of Lake Tahoe (then Lake Bigler) and South Fork American River to Placerville.  Prior to the opening of Johnson's Pass most emigrant travel traversed the Sierra Nevada range to the south via Carson Pass.  

In 1853 Congress ordered survey to locate a possible route for a railroad line over the Sierra Nevada range.  The conclusion of the 1853 Congressional survey suggested any route over the Sierra Nevada was unfeasibly due to deep snows which occurred every winter.   The State of California ordered its own survey by April 1855 to investigate the feasibility of constructing a wagon road from Sacramento Valley east to Carson Valley.   By June 1855 enough money had been raised so that Sherman Day could scout potential wagon roads over the Sierra Nevada.  The Day Survey concluded that the only viable options for a wagon road over the Sierra Nevada would be at Johnson's Pass or Carson Pass.  Johnson's Pass was considerable favorable to Carson Pass due to the lower elevation potentially permitting all-year travel.  

The Goddard Survey later corroborated the findings of the Day Survey in that Johnson's Pass would be the desirable route of a Trans-Sierra Wagon Road.  

The surveyed routes of Sherman Day over Johnson's Pass and Carson Pass.   

During 1857 the counties of; Yolo, Sacramento and El Dorado contributed $50,000 dollars towards construction of a wagon road over Johnson's Pass.  County officials hired noted stagecoach driver J.B. Crandall of the Crandall & Sunderland Company to drive surveyors over Day's route east through the Sierra Nevada range to Carson Valley via Johnson's Pass.  The Crandall & Sunderland Company at the time operated as a stage line from the terminus of the Sacramento Valley Railroad in Folsom eastward to Placerville.  The stage trip from Folsom originated on June 11, 1857, and proved that a wagon road over Johnson's Pass was indeed feasible.   

The below map details when specific segments of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road were completed between 1858- 65 east of Placerville to Genoa, Nevada.

The usage of the name "Lake Tahoe Wagon Road" is noted to have come sometime after its completion in 1865.  

The Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as depicted in 1865 via wood cut drawing.

The completed Lake Tahoe Wagon Road can be seen on the 1873 Bancroft's Map of California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona east of Placerville to the State Line.  

The Lake Tahoe Wagon Road east of Placerville had become a El Dorado County public highway during 1886.  On March 26th, 1895 the California State Legislature approved the creation of the Lake Tahoe State Highway.  The original definition of them Lake Tahoe State Highway had it originate near Smith's Flat at the intersection of the Placerville Road (Lake Tahoe Wagon Road) and Newtown Road.  The Lake Tahoe State Highway was to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains easterly to the Nevada State Line via Johnson's Pass following the existing Lake Tahoe Wagon Road.   The Lake Tahoe State Highway became effective upon being signed into law on February 28, 1896, and was the first California State Highway.    

According to CAhighways.org the Lake Tahoe State Highway was extended westward from Smith's Flat as part of 1897 Legislative Chapter 176 with the following definition:

"A public highway or wagon road shall be built from a point on the E limits of the city of Sacramento to Folsom in Sacramento Cty as near practicable along the route of the present most direct line of county roads between these two points..."

The 1897 extension of the Lake Tahoe State Highway left a gap in State Maintenance from Folsom eastward to Placerville.  The first work conducted on the Lake Tahoe State Highway was a new 80-foot stone arch bridge over the South Fork American River at Riverton which was completed during 1901.  

Scenes of the early Lake Tahoe State Highway as depicted in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works.  

The Folsom-Placerville gap in the Lake State Tahoe State Highway would not be resolved until the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act (approved by voters in 1910).  The majority of the highways approved as part of the First State Highway Bond Act were largely well-established routes of travel.  The 1909 First State Highway Bond Act according to CAhighways.org provided funding for a highway from Sacramento east to Placerville which closed the gap in the Lake Tahoe State Highway.  In time the Lake Tahoe State Highway would come to be assigned as Legislative Route Number 11 ("LRN 11").  

During 1912 Indiana Businessman Carl G. Fisher conceptualized the Lincoln Highway as a major transcontinental Auto Trail.  The Lincoln Highway was formally dedicated on October 31, 1913, and would cross the Sierra Nevada range via North/South branches.  The South Lincoln Highway (alternatively the Pioneer Branch) entered the State of California from Stateline, Nevada and followed LRN 11 west towards Sacramento.

The South Lincoln Highway used the existing route over Johnson's Pass.  This alignment is displayed in clear detail on the Lincoln Highway Association map.  

The initial draft of the US Route System was approved by the Secretary of Agriculture during November of 1925.  The US Route System within California was approved by California Highway Commission with no changes recommended by January 1926.  Originally US Route 50 was not slated to replace the South Lincoln Highway in California.   

US Route 50 is shown to have a planned terminus at US Route 40 near Wadsworth, Nevada on the 1925 Rand McNally Junior Map of California.  

US Route 50 can be seen terminating US Route 40 in Wadsworth, Nevada on a October 1925 report to by the Bureau of Public Roads which lists the recommended US Routes.  

The US Route System was finalized by November 1926 and included US Route 50 being extended to a new terminus at US Route 99 in Sacramento via the South Lincoln Highway/LRN 11 over Johnson's Pass.  Early US Route 50/LRN 11 over the Sierra Nevada can be seen on the 1927 National Map Company Highway Map of California.

The October 1938 California Highways & Public Works featured the nearly complete realignment of US Route 50 off of Johnson's Pass onto Echo Summit.  The new highway was constructed over a 2.3-mile corridor which ended at the Meyers Grade and carried an average 5.6% gradient.  The grade of Johnson's Pass Road is noted to be an inadequate 11%.  The article noted that Echo Summit would be open to traffic during Fall 1938.  

The September 1941 California Highways & Public Works announced US Route 50 would be kept open during the winter months.  The decision to keep the highway open during the winter was made by the California Highway Commission on August 29, 1941, and seems to be borne out of the increasing importance of the highway for transcontinental travel.  

The realignment of US Route 50 off the Meyers Grade would be delayed due to World War II.  The project was initially contracted during the summer of 1941.  Work would progress slowly during 1942 before being ultimately shelved.  Work would resume by 1946 and would be completed during September 1947.  The September/October 1947 California Highways & Public Works would feature an article regarding replacement of the Meyers Grade. 

Part 2; a drive over Johnson's Pass

The original Meyers Grade is no longer accessible to thru-traffic.  Below the original grade can be seen gated next to modern US Route 50.  

Johnson's Pass Road is not well marked from westbound US Route 50 but nonetheless is accessible to traffic.  

Johnson's Pass Road climbs via two steep switchbacks to Johnson's Pass at approximately 7,382 feet above sea level.  The actual pass is where the California Alpine Club lodge can be found.  A Lincoln Highway shield can be found affixed to the lodge overlooking Lake Tahoe.  Modern US Route 50 and the switchbacks of Johnson's Pass Road can be seen below.  

Johnson's Pass Road continues west and terminates at modern US Route 50 near Echo Summit.