DATE VISITED: 03/15/2015
HISTORICAL SITE: Hwy 40 Historical Scenic Route
LOCATION: Ophir Rd., Newcastle, Placer Co., CA
"This monument was erected in recognition of the
historical significance of this transportation corridor by the Placer County
Water Agency, and dedicated to the California Chapter of the Lincoln HighwayAssociation. Ophir Road was formerly U.S. 40 which was the main route over the
Sierra's until the construction of Interstate 80. Prior to U.S. 40, the Lincoln
Highway traversed this section of Ophir Road. The Lincoln Highway, the first
road across the United States, was conceived in 1913 by the Lincoln Highway Association
which originated to promote automobile travel in the United States. The pieces
of pavement below were taken from these two historic segments of highway."
Marker Placed By: Placer County Water Agency
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: There will be times when something catches my eye and I want
to write about it. A site may not have a governmental designation of historical
significance and really, may not have any other designation other than it
interests me.
This is one of those places. People feel, and rightly so in
this case, that it has historical significance but it has not been acknowledged
by any governmental entity.
The idea of a transcontinental highway was the brainchild of
the creator of the Indianapolis Speedway as a "rock highway" and was
initially financed by the fledgling automobile industry to promote automobile
travel.
In 1921, the United States recognized the importance of governmental
maintenance of the roadways and so took over the financing of the project.
Noted as the very first transcontinental highway, it
traversed over 3,400 miles. Travel from one end to the other was touted to only take 30 days if you averaged
18 miles per hour for 6 hours each day. Seeing the condition of parts of the
highway over the Sierra's makes you understand why the average was only 18 MPH.
The Lincoln Highway, aka Route 40, no longer exists as an
official route in most western states having been replaced by Interstate 80.
In 1928, with the organization of the federal highway
system, named highways such as the Lincoln Highway were changed to numbers. In
honor to Abraham Lincoln, the Boy Scouts put up the mile posts all along the
route, totaling, in the end, 3,000 markers.
I found out later while researching Route 40 that the tunnel
I had photographed for the Portuguese Hall was a part of Route 40.
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