North South Road is a 25.4-mile highway corridor located in Eldorado National Forest in the Sierra Nevada range. North South Road begins at Omo Ranch Road and extends northward to Morman Emigrant Trail via the ghost town of Caldor. North South Road is designated as Forest Road 10N83 and despite being a single lane wide is fully paved.
Construction of North South Road began in the early 1930s. The purpose of the corridor was to create additional access to the California Door Company town of Caldor and act as the main north/south highway in Eldorado National Forest. By 1932 two notable Warren Pratt Truss spans were installed by the Forest Service at the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Cosumnes River. During the 1980s the northern end of North South Road would be realigned away from Cosumnes Mine Road towards Morman Emigrant Trail.
Much of the corridor of North South Road would burn during the Caldor Fire in 2021. The deck of the historic truss span at the North Fork Consumnes River (known as the Capps Crossing Bridge) was burned along with over 1,000 structures.
Part 1; the history of North South Road
North South Road is the main highway through Eldorado National Forest. North South Road originates at Omo Ranch Road and extends approximately 25.4 miles northward via the ghost town of Caldor to Morman Emigrant Trail. North South Road is assigned as Forest Road 10N83 and is fully paved in asphalt.
The history of North South Road originates with the ghost town of Caldor. Caldor was originally established as a mining camp called Dog Town along what is now Dogtown Creek (originally the North Fork of the Middle Fork Consumnes River) in the early California Gold Rush. Dogtown was not a significant settlement and came mostly known as being the location of a sawmill.
Dogtown can be seen on the 1889 United States Geological Survey map. The community was connected to Grizzly Flats via what is now Leoni Road. A road branching south to the town of Morgan at the Middle Fork Consumnes River in Pi Pi Valley can be seen following a corridor similar to modern North South Road. Morgan was connected to the Carson Pass Highway via a road that terminated at Hams Station.
In 1900 the California Door Company would purchase 30,000 acres of land in the Sierra Nevada range of El Dorado County which included the site of Dogtown. Dogtown was rebuilt as the company town to house sawmill workers. The California Door Company board of directors thought the name "Dogtown" was unsavory and elected to rename the community as "Caldor." The name Caldor is shorthand for the California Door Company.
In 1904 the California Door Company would complete construction of the Diamond & Caldor Railway. The line originated as Diamond Springs and extended eastward via Coles to Caldor. Reports indicate that by 1906 Caldor had a population of 120 residents.
On July 28, 1910, much of the lands surrounding Caldor were designated as part of Eldorado National Forest. The creation of a National Forest around the Caldor community did little impact logging operations and road access. In 1923 the sawmill at Caldor would burn and was not replaced as it was relatively easy to ship felled logs via rail to Diamond Springs.
Caldor can be seen below during the height of logging operations in 1923 (News MoLo photo).
Eldorado National Forest would begin construction of modern North South Road in the early 1930s. North South Road was intended to be the main north/south highway through the National Forest which used Caldor roughly as a halfway point. Warren Pratt Truss spans were installed at the North Fork and the Middle Fork of the Consumnes River in 1932. The North Fork span was known as Capps Crossing Bridge and whereas the Middle Fork span was not assigned an honorific name.
Modern North South Road appears on 1951 United States Geological Survey maps. The corridor is shown to originate at Omo Ranch Road and extend northward through Caldor to the vicinity of the Capps Crossing Bridge near the Robert Lee Mine. The original terminus of North South Road north of Capps Crossing Bridge followed what is now Bonetti Road (Forest Road 10N55) to Consumes Mine Road.
In 1981 the Capps Crossing Bridge would be replaced. The bridge replacement at the North Fork Consumnes River included realigning North South Road to Morman Emigrant Trail. The Capps Crossing Bridge would be preserved for pedestrian use.
In 1998 the Middle Fork Cosumnes River Bridge on North South Road would be replaced by the Glenn Oviatt Bridge. The Glenn Oviatt Bridge is named after a former sawmill owner from the Omo Ranch area who processed lumber from the North South Road corridor. Glenn Oviatt likely contributed donations for the span which bears his name. The Middle Fork Cosumnes River Bridge like the Capps Crossing Bridge was preserved for pedestrian use.
Much of the North South Road corridor was heavily impacted by the Caldor Fire. Said fire was first reported on August 14, 2021, and would burn 221,835 acres of Eldorado National Forest. Full containment of the fire was reached on October 21, 2021. The Caldor Fire destroyed most of Grizzly Flats and over 1,000 structures. The deck of the Capps Crossing Bridge was one of the structures which were destroyed.
Part 2; a drive on North South Road
Northbound North South Road originates at Omo Ranch Road near the Eldorado National Forest boundary. As North South Road begins signage indicates Caldor is 12 miles away.
North South Road rapidly descends to Sopiago Creek.
North South Road climbs above Gold Note Bridge and makes another descent to the Glenn Oviatt Bridge in Pi Pi Valley at the Middle Fork Cosumnes River.
The 1932 Middle Fork Cosumnes River Bridge can be found next to the Glenn Oviatt Bridge. The structure is open to pedestrians and can be crossed on foot. The 1932-era bridge carries a unique truss design which has a wooden road deck topped with asphalt.
North South Road enters the Caldor Fire burn scar near the Caldor town site. At the Caldor town site, the corridor of North South Road intersects Leoni Road. North of Caldor the roadway crosses the North Fork Cosumnes River near the ruins of the Capps Crossing Bridge.
As noted in Part 1 the deck of the Capps Crossing Bridge was destroyed in the Caldor Fire.
These photos of the Capps Crossing Bridge were taken prior to the Caldor Fire (bridgehunter.com).
Comments