Great Sierra Wagon Road facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Great Sierra Wagon Road
|
|
Old Tioga Road in 2001
|
|
 Location in California
Location in the United States
|
|
| Nearest city | Yosemite Valley, California |
|---|---|
| Area | 107 acres (43 ha) |
| Built | 1882 |
| Architect | Great Sierra Consolidated Silver |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000373 |
| Added to NRHP | August 25, 1978 |
The Great Sierra Wagon Road was an important path built through the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. It was created to bring supplies to the Great Sierra Mine. This mine was located on Tioga Hill, high up in the mountains, in what is now Yosemite National Park.
The Great Sierra Silver Mining Company built the road in 1882. They completed the road, which was over 56.25 miles (90.53 km) long, in just 130 days! However, the mine soon closed down, leaving the road without its original purpose.
Contents
The Road's New Life
In 1915, Stephen T. Mather bought the road. He was a wealthy person who later became the very first director of the National Park Service. Mather then gave the road to the Park Service.
Becoming Tioga Road
The Park Service opened the road for public use and named it the Tioga Road. Today, this road is known as California State Route 120. It goes all the way through Yosemite National Park, from its west entrance to its east entrance.
Old Tioga Road Today
A part of the original Great Sierra Wagon Road was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1978. This section is now called the Old Tioga Road.
Why the Road Changed
The main Tioga Road was moved and rebuilt to go around an area called Aspen Valley in the western part of the park. This left the Old Tioga Road behind.
What Remains
Today, the Old Tioga Road is mostly a service road for the park. It is not open to the public, except for a small part that leads to private properties. This old road still has its original stone walls. These walls are sometimes called "Chinese Walls" because Chinese workers helped build them. This section of the road looks much like it did when it was first built.
