The Historical Society has some major goals besides the general goals you read about on the main page of this website.
Major Goal number 1 is a museum and visiors's center on Donner Summit. We've made a start with our new building and have dreams about a museum/visitors' center.
Our second major goal ties into more than history on Donner Summit. Ever since the coming of the freeway, the economy on Donner Summit has been heading downhill which is not where the Summit community would like it (expressed through surveys and public forums beginning in 2007).
What can we do to improve the economy AND fit our mission? An idea arose. Transportation is the major theme of Summit history: the railroad, the first transcontinental highway, the Dutch Flat Wagon Rd. etc. Let's make Old highway 40, the main road before Inerstate 80, into our "convention center" the draw for Donner Summit.
Old 40 will be our 20 mile long museum from Cisco Grove to below Rainbow Bridge on Old 40. It will be "interpreted" with signs. Signs will contain: a map of the route, the history of the spot (the wagon trains or petroglyphs), a good historical story (the bank robbers arrested in Soda Springs or the missing gold at Rainbow), old photographs, a nearby activity (hike to Roller Pass or walk along the Lincoln Highway by the river), GPS coordinates for geo-caching, supporting businesses and the business that adopted the sign.
See our first sign for Rainbow Tavern at this link and an example of the sign on a stand at this link. More links below.
Major Goal number 1 is a museum and visiors's center on Donner Summit. We've made a start with our new building and have dreams about a museum/visitors' center.
Our second major goal ties into more than history on Donner Summit. Ever since the coming of the freeway, the economy on Donner Summit has been heading downhill which is not where the Summit community would like it (expressed through surveys and public forums beginning in 2007).
What can we do to improve the economy AND fit our mission? An idea arose. Transportation is the major theme of Summit history: the railroad, the first transcontinental highway, the Dutch Flat Wagon Rd. etc. Let's make Old highway 40, the main road before Inerstate 80, into our "convention center" the draw for Donner Summit.
Old 40 will be our 20 mile long museum from Cisco Grove to below Rainbow Bridge on Old 40. It will be "interpreted" with signs. Signs will contain: a map of the route, the history of the spot (the wagon trains or petroglyphs), a good historical story (the bank robbers arrested in Soda Springs or the missing gold at Rainbow), old photographs, a nearby activity (hike to Roller Pass or walk along the Lincoln Highway by the river), GPS coordinates for geo-caching, supporting businesses and the business that adopted the sign.
See our first sign for Rainbow Tavern at this link and an example of the sign on a stand at this link. More links below.
You may want to get a feeling for what we're attempting by downloading the Donner Summit's Old Highway 40 Scenic Bypass map and descriptions by clicking on the graphic to the right and below. You can also pick up a copy in our new building in Soda Springs. This version will just whet your appetite for the more extensive 20 mile long museum described above. A sample sign is also to the right.
As you can imagine this is a large undertaking: making the couple of dozen signs, fabricating the stands/supports, getting placement permission, working with County governments (Placer and Nevada), choosing photographs, writing text, making and disseminating brochures, and just dealing with the myriad of details involved in the logistics. We need help with our effort to not only pass on our rich history but to improve the Summit's economy. You may also want to sponsor a sign.
As you can imagine this is a large undertaking: making the couple of dozen signs, fabricating the stands/supports, getting placement permission, working with County governments (Placer and Nevada), choosing photographs, writing text, making and disseminating brochures, and just dealing with the myriad of details involved in the logistics. We need help with our effort to not only pass on our rich history but to improve the Summit's economy. You may also want to sponsor a sign.
