By Cheri Sicard
A recent drive along Highway 50 from Placerville, California, to the south shore of Lake Tahoe had everyone in the vehicle marveling at the scenic road whizzing by under our wheels. We couldn’t help but wonder what it took to build the road to Lake Tahoe. We didn’t have to wonder, as in the video at the end of this post, the team from Sacramento Archives Crawl shows us.
Travelers racing across El Dorado County on today’s Highway 50 reach Lake Tahoe in less than two hours. But step back in time, and the trip was a true feat of grit, teamwork, and patience.
Before modern roads, crossing El Dorado County was no easy ride. Steep canyons and thick forests blocked wagons along the South Fork of the American River. Imagine teams facing rocky paths, daunting climbs, and impassable routes just to make it east or west. Early travelers had to muster courage and sheer muscle to get through.
Johnson’s Cutoff: The first major route
In 1852, John Calhoun Johnson saw an opportunity. He forced a new passage—the Johnson’s Cutoff—by tracking ridges north of the river. This shortcut dodged the worst canyons but still demanded everything from pioneers. When it came time to scale Echo Summit, William Goldman’s 1852 description said it best: “It’s like climbing a tree, only worse.” Fifty men, dozens of oxen, and days of teamwork were needed to bring wagons up one tough summit after another.
Just six years later, in 1858, a new road was carved, shifting the route down the slope but still high above the river. This improved road became the Sacramento and Carson Valley Road. Even so, travelers like Adolph Sutro in 1860 remembered narrow cuts at the edge of the hill, wagons scraping by each other, and everyone having to get out and walk so the horses could pull through.
The route’s importance soared in 1860 when the Pony Express rolled across El Dorado County. Riders raced mail across the country in a matter of days, a huge improvement over the months-long wait before. But the wild rides didn’t last long. Just 19 months later, the Pacific Telegraph line replaced it, following the same pathway for faster communication.
By the mid-1860s, upgrades transformed this trail into the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road. The discovery of Comstock silver sent endless convoys of wagons between Sacramento and Virginia City. More than 90 way stations lined the route, offering rest and supplies. In 1865, Samuel Bowles wrote about two or three stagecoach loads of passengers passing every day, freight wagons hauling up to 10 tons, and mule teams moving to the clatter of bells.
Railroad ends the wagon era
When the Transcontinental Railroad opened in 1869, wagon traffic on the Lake Tahoe road faded almost overnight. The new trains were faster, easier, and promised a smoother way to move people and goods.
By 1896, the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road made history as California’s first state highway. Back then, it was usually dirt—dusty and bone-dry in summer, mud-locked and slippery in wetter seasons. Cars were rare, and the journey could still test even the hardiest travelers.
Launch of the Lincoln Highway
In 1913, a new dream emerged. Auto industry leaders kickstarted the Lincoln Highway, America’s first coast-to-coast route. Traveler Effie Gladding drove through El Dorado County by 1915 and wrote about mountain views, roaring streams, and stretches of forest. Still, drivers faced thick dust clouds and sudden mud when the weather shifted, the open cars leaving passengers coated in dirt or splattered in muck.
Not every tale is about wagons or cars. In 1914, 10,000 sheep marched along the highway to break up lingering snow. During dry summers, workers sprinkled water or oil to keep choking dust from blinding travelers.
By 1928, the Boy Scouts planted more than 3,000 cement markers along the Lincoln Highway, each with a bronze Abraham Lincoln medallion. Two are at the El Dorado County Historical Museum in Placerville, and another is embedded in the wall at Tortilla Flats restaurant on Main Street.
Some original highway stretches survive today—like the old Weber Bridge and a long, untouched section of 1914 pavement near Cameron Park—cherished by history buffs.
Modern Highway 50: Smooth sailing with history beneath
The 1960s brought the final transformation, building the Highway 50 route as we know it today. Improvements keep coming, yet the old path’s echoes are everywhere. Next time you zoom up the hill to Lake Tahoe, picture those slow wagon teams, rattling stagecoaches, and brave drivers in open cars. The story of the road to Lake Tahoe is still unfolding—right beneath your tires.
For anyone hungry for more local history or to see unique artifacts, the El Dorado County Historical Museum in Placerville is the place to start. The journey across El Dorado County never really ends—it just picks up speed.
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RVDT2706
I was lucky enough to spend many summers at Echo Lake in the sixties so my family drove that highway often. I remember the stretch between Pollock Pines and Echo Summit being known as blood alley. In response to the accident rate, and to slow traffic, California Highway Patrol placed plywood “police cars” at the side of the road to get drivers attention. One of those cars showed up at Echo Lake in the channel separating upper and lower lake a couple miles from the nearest road. I would love to see pictures of that. I’m sure someone out there has them.
Thank you for calling attention to the video and summarizing it, Cheri! I have heard of Lake Tahoe, but doubt that I’ll make it there, even with all the road construction. We rarely get to the West; too much needs doing around the farm to stay gone as long as it would take. Have a great week and safe travels!
Was it worth all of that just to get to California? lol
Yes it was. Best state in the Union! No other state can match the economic standing, diversity of landscapes, or ethnic diversity going back to 1860 – PERIOD. Anybody who has an issue with California- please DO NOT VISIT!