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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

U.S. 50 in Nevada Designated as Official U.S. Bicycle Route

The Nevada Department of Transportation announced that U.S. 50 across the state has been designated as Nevada’s first official U.S. Bicycle Route, joining the world’s largest network of national bike routes and expanding tourism and long-term economic potential for local communities along the route.

While many local bicycle routes and paths exist across the state, the designation of U.S. 50 as part of the U.S. Bicycle Route System marks the first route in Nevada to be named a U.S. Bicycle Route and makes Nevada the tipping-point 26th state in the union with a national bike route. The new designation by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, with the support of Adventure Cycling Association, brings the total mileage of U.S. Bicycle Route routes in the nation to 13,099.

While hundreds of adventure cyclists already travel U.S. 50 every year, this designation literally puts the highway on the map of designated bicycle routes which many national and international tourists use to travel the nation.

Known as U.S. Bicycle Route 50 (USBR 50), the 410-mile bicycle route follows U.S. 50, dubbed the “Loneliest Road in America,” east to west across the state. One route detour from U.S. 50 takes bicyclists along State Route 722 west of Austin for a less-traveled, more-appealing ride with unparalleled scenery before connecting back to U.S. 50. Crossing part of the Great Basin, the route traverses 12 summits taller than 6,000 feet, numerous communities, and 10 nearby state parks. USBR 50 connects to the existing U.S. Bicycle Route 79 in Utah. With work progressing on USBR 50 in California and U.S. Bicycle Route 77 in Utah, in the future cyclists will be able to ride on officially designated bicycle routes from Salt Lake City to San Francisco. Roadway signage will be installed along U.S. 50 in the future noting the bicycle route designation.

U.S. 50 parallels the famed Pony Express route and teems with history and awe-inspiring beauty. Travelers come from all over the world to trek across the 'Loneliest Road in America,' on bicycle, motorcycle, in RVs and cars. It's an iconic road-trip route and a slice of the best Nevada has to offer.

With the bike route crossing rural Nevada desert, bicyclists are advised to travel prepared with water, emergency medical and basic bicycle-repair supplies. Due to the tremendous topographic diversity along the route, cyclists should prepare for any type of weather and intermittent cell phone coverage.

U.S. 50 traces the historic Pony Express Trail and Lincoln Highway, and in modern history serves as a highway connecting the central part of our state. NDOT encourages visitors using all modes of transportation to experience Nevada’s rich history and natural beauty along the U.S. 50 corridor. Non-motorized transportation plays an important part in keeping us all connected by providing an environmentally friendly and healthy mode of transportation.

Digital maps for all designated U.S. Bicycle Routes, including all new routes, are available to the public for free, using the Ride with GPS online platform, from the Adventure Cycling website at adventurecycling.org/USBRSmaps.

Source: RTC eNews, July 2018

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