Eureka! I've found it...the loneliest road in America.
06-06-2016
Author: in Roadrunner History Buff
Eureka Nevada, I’ve found it!” I texted to a few of my friends and family. One recipient of my text wrote me cryptically, “Found what? Your long lost soul? ” Well, maybe I did as I traveled west on Highway 50 across the Great Basin west of Salt Lake City, Utah. Years ago, it was named the loneliest road in America. Somehow, the wide open spaces with a road straight as a string and as far as you can see, are good for my spirit. I feel like I belong there. In Ely Nevada, US Highway 50 joins a highway known as the Lincoln Highway and part of it was the Pony Express Route. Perhaps in another life, I passed this way.
Somehow, I have never known much about the Lincoln Highway. I have read about the El Camino Real from Mexico to Santa Fe, New Mexico and Route, but I didn’t know about the Lincoln Highway. It turns out that this was the first transcontinental highway from Times Square New York City to Lincoln Square in San Francisco. It was originally 3389 miles long and was conceived 104 years ago. Now an association known as the Lincoln Highway Association maintains a web site with an interactive map. When I checked out their website.it was interesting to see the route relative to places where I have traveled and lived.
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Richmond Mine, one of two silver mines in Eureka
Photo Courtesy of Jerry Willis cc by-sa.20 )
The portion of Highway 50 west of Salt Lake City and across Utah and into Nevada crosses the Great Basin and goes over 17 passes by the time I reached Reno. Eureka and Ely are the two largest towns. Each town has its own history largely based on mining. As the basin allows does not water to flow out of it in any direction, the water evaporates and settles into the aquifers. Much of the soil is alkaline. Large dry lake beds look like they have contain water but it turns out to be a mirage. Sand dunes dot the area. Some of the valleys have pinion and pine trees at the higher altitudes.
In April 1988, the University of Iowa published Lincoln Highway, the Main Street Across America, a text-and-photo essay and history by Drake Hokanson. Hokanson had been intrigued by the mystery of this once-famous highway, and tried to explain the fascination with the route in an August 1985 article in Smithsonian Magazine:
“If it had been restlessness and desire for a better way across the continent that brought the Lincoln Highway into existence, it was curiosity that kept it alive—the notion that the point of traveling was not just to cover the distance but to savor the texture of life along the way. Maybe we've lost that, but the opportunity to rediscover it is still out there waiting for us anytime we feel like turning off an exit ramp.”
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US Highway 50- Nevada
Part of the Great Basin is designated as a National Park. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to visit it this past trip. Maybe I will next time.
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Historic Jackson House Hotel Built in 1877
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The Great Basin (Courtesy of Kmusser CC SY SA 3,0)
I highly recommend this route versus Interstate 80. However, be forewarned, there are few services and in the winter, snow could be a problem for travelers.
Richmond Mine, one of two silver mines in Eureka
Photo Courtesy of Jerry Willis cc by-sa.20 )
The portion of Highway 50 west of Salt Lake City and across Utah and into Nevada crosses the Great Basin and goes over 17 passes by the time I reached Reno. Eureka and Ely are the two largest towns. Each town has its own history largely based on mining. As the basin allows does not water to flow out of it in any direction, the water evaporates and settles into the aquifers. Much of the soil is alkaline. Large dry lake beds look like they have contain water but it turns out to be a mirage. Sand dunes dot the area. Some of the valleys have pinion and pine trees at the higher altitudes.
In April 1988, the University of Iowa published Lincoln Highway, the Main Street Across America, a text-and-photo essay and history by Drake Hokanson. Hokanson had been intrigued by the mystery of this once-famous highway, and tried to explain the fascination with the route in an August 1985 article in Smithsonian Magazine:
“If it had been restlessness and desire for a better way across the continent that brought the Lincoln Highway into existence, it was curiosity that kept it alive—the notion that the point of traveling was not just to cover the distance but to savor the texture of life along the way. Maybe we've lost that, but the opportunity to rediscover it is still out there waiting for us anytime we feel like turning off an exit ramp.”
US Highway 50- Nevada
Part of the Great Basin is designated as a National Park. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to visit it this past trip. Maybe I will next time.
Historic Jackson House Hotel Built in 1877
The Great Basin (Courtesy of Kmusser CC SY SA 3,0)
I highly recommend this route versus Interstate 80. However, be forewarned, there are few services and in the winter, snow could be a problem for travelers.
Comment
WanderLusterJune 7, 2016 | 09:57 AM
Love your blogs! It's so great to read about the history of all these wonderful places across America. Fantastic pictures too!
Author: Victor K. Ray
