NPS Form 10-900-b OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form This form is used for documenting property groups relating to one or several historic contexts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Complete each item by entering the requested information. ___X___ New Submission ________ Amended Submission A. Name of Multiple Property Listing Lincoln Highway – Pioneer Branch, Carson City to Stateline, Nevada B. Associated Historic Contexts (Name each associated historic context, identifying theme, geographical area, and chronological period for each.) Early Trails and Overland Routes, 1840’s-1863 Early Road Development in Nevada, 1865-1920’s Establishment of the Lincoln Highway and the Pioneer Branch, 1910-1913 Evolution of the Lincoln Highway and the Pioneer Branch, 1914-1957 C. Form Prepared by: name/title Chad Moffett, Dianna Litvak, Liz Boyer, Timothy Smith organization Mead & Hunt, Inc. street & number 180 Promenade Circle, Suite 240 city or town Sacramento state CA zip code 95834 e-mail [email protected] telephone 916-971-3961 date January 2018 D. Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the listing of related properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR 60 and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. _______________________________ ______________________ _________________________ Signature of certifying official Title Date _____________________________________ State or Federal Agency or Tribal government I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register. ________________________________ __________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action NPS Form 10-900-b OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Lincoln Highway – Pioneer Branch, Carson City to Stateline, Nevada Nevada Name of Multiple Property Listing State Table of Contents for Written Narrative Create a Table of Contents and list the page numbers for each of these sections in the space below. Provide narrative explanations for each of these sections on continuation sheets. In the header of each section, cite the letter, page number, and name of the multiple property listing. Refer to How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form for additional guidance. Page Numbers E. Statement of Historic Contexts (If more than one historic context is documented, present them in sequential order.) E-1 F. Associated Property Types (Provide description, significance, and registration requirements.) F-1 G. Geographical Data G-1 H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods (Discuss the methods used in developing the multiple property listing.) H-1 I. Major Bibliographical References (List major written works and primary location of additional documentation: State Historic Preservation I-1 Office, other State agency, Federal agency, local government, university, or other, specifying repository.) Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 250 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, PO Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior Lincoln HighwayPut – Pioneer Here Branch National Park Service Name of Property Carson City and Douglas County, NV County and State National Register of Historic Places Lincoln Highway – Pioneer Branch Continuation Sheet Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Section number E Page 1 Statement of Historic Contexts Introduction This MPDF addresses the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway between Carson City and Stateline. It provides the historic context statement of the overall development of the Lincoln Highway as a national planned route and discusses how segments of the road that carried the Lincoln Highway in Nevada fit within the development of early vehicular roadways in Nevada. The Lincoln Highway was just one of many transportation corridors that emerged across northern Nevada in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to carry wagons, trains, and automobiles, passing through small and large communities that catered to travelers and locals alike. The Lincoln Highway is associated with important national and state trends in twentieth century transportation development in the area of Transportation under Criterion A and for exhibiting important roadway design and construction in the area of Engineering under Criterion C.1 It was one of the earliest cross-country automobile routes stretching across the nation to be widely promoted by private interests before the involvement of the government and the adoption of the U.S. Highway System. As such, the Lincoln Highway represents the most successful private campaign initiated during the Good Roads movement to develop transcontinental routes. The Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) and local boosters saw the economic potential and benefit of improved roads and established the main branch and a scenic branch of the route in 1913 on a system of unimproved wagon roads in Nevada. The LHA worked to improve and promote the Lincoln Highway in Nevada through at least 1928. However, the role of the Nevada Highway Department (NHD) and events in Utah during the late 1910s and early 1920s played an important role in the history of the Lincoln Highway and the establishment and subsequent improvement of other important road corridors also providing interstate connections within northern Nevada. Over time, the maintenance responsibility of the Lincoln Highway fell upon the NHD and the localities it passed through, and several alignments of the Lincoln Highway with distinct periods of use emerged. The history of the Lincoln Highway in Nevada differs from trends in other states; while early establishment and promotion by the LHA mirrors the experience of other local booster groups that established roads across their states, efforts to connect Nevada’s main branch of the Lincoln Highway faltered when Utah failed to connect its portion of the Lincoln Highway to the main branch in Nevada and instead promoted another route to the north. Despite the early decline and diminished 1 National Park Service, Lincoln Highway: Special Resource Study, Environmental Assessment (Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2004). NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior Lincoln HighwayPut – Pioneer Here Branch National Park Service Name of Property Carson City and Douglas County, NV County and State National Register of Historic Places Lincoln Highway – Pioneer Branch Continuation Sheet Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Section number E Page 2 importance of this portion of the Lincoln Highway through Nevada, the highway remained popular, especially east of Reno on a portion co-designated with the Victory Highway and what would become U.S. Highway (US) 40. Despite these events, the route is still considered to represent an important chapter of vehicular transportation development in northern Nevada. Transportation development in this part of Nevada began when Carson City was established as a community in 1858. After the discovery of gold and silver in the Comstock Lode in 1859, it grew into a major regional center for trade and commerce. The Nevada Territory formed in 1861 and became known for its silver and gold deposits. Recognizing the importance of the territory’s mineral wealth to the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the congressional proclamation for the creation of the State of Nevada in 1864. Carson City served as both the territorial and state capitol and as the county seat of Ormsby County. The city developed into an important commercial center due to nearby mining activities, freight operations, and its role in shipping timber harvested from the Lake Tahoe Basin. Although not located along the transcontinental railroad, which reached Reno in 1868, Carson City was well-connected by rail to Virginia City and Reno by the mid-1870s.2 For the next few decades connections between Carson City and the developing tourist attraction of Lake Tahoe remained limited to wagon roads and early toll roads. In 1913 the LHA selected existing roads