Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1921-04-16
Walker Lake Highway

Mineral county residents in particu.
lar, and road enthusiasts general,
throughout the state, are looking for
ward to the opening of the state high
way on the west side of Walker Lake
to traffic. Contractor Berney and as.
sociates have two camps established
one at either end of the contract. that
will, in all PROBABILITY, be completed
within fortnight
The original contract called for
construction OF 9.33 miles of unsur-
faced road, IS feet in width. An ex
tension l.73 miles long has been addet.
to the south end OF theman road. The
extension is an unsurfaced road, Il
feet wide, in very good condition. as ii
runs through good, natural road-5uild.
ing material, consisting largely o.
gravel. An ordinary county road, in
tair condition, connects the constructed
highway with Hawthorne. The com.
missioners of Mineral county have
opened up rough graded road from
the north end of the state highway
to Schurz.
The ll.0o miles of new road in part
has been CONSTRUCTED in spite of great
difficulties. For a distance of two
miles it was necessary to run the line
about 80 feet above the lake level
blasting a pathway through the solid
rock towering hundreds of feet above
the lake and forming the largest
known geological fault in the United
States.
Machinery, building material for
the camps, stock and supplies of ali
kinds were transported six miles
across the lake on barge. The com
pressor to operate the the rock drills
and blacksmith forges were placed OF
narrow rock ledges where workmen
had barely standing room.
The most difficult obstacle however
was the mountainside and cliff farther
north, where the nature of the debris
above vertical cliff between 50 and
Is feet high made it appear well nigh
impossible to construct road thai
would stand and that would not be
troubled by rock and gravel DRIFT.
ing down from above. This developed
the bitter controversy over the merits
of the "Y" IN" and "S' lines, which
was aired fully before the legislative
Investigating committee, and resulted
in the selection of the IN" line, which
at various points was midway between
the other two routes, and which ap-
pears to present fewer engineering
problems than either of the other
lines. The route chosen at this poin;
is about 21O feet above the lake. The
lower line would have followed for a
considerable distance the top OF the
vertical cliff
The road on the west side OF Walker
lake is not local undertaking in the
sense of serving the public in the i'm
mediate vicinity, for throughout its
entire length, not to exceed three
ranchers on a small scale have their
holdings. The road is, however, Vi
tai link in the state highway system
It eliminates the S00S-foot Luckyboy
grade, which ordinarily is closed dur
ng all Of the winter months and which
aside from its novelty, is the bane OF
autoists.
Under ordinar' conditions it will be
possible for an open road between
Reno and Tonopah-in fact, between
Oregon and the most southern bound.
ary of the state to be maintained
in passable condition for automobile
throughout the year. Mineral county
IN playing its part in the development
and construction of the state highway
system is paying one-fourth of the cost
of the road that will cost in excess o
100000, in addition to extra county
maintenance work at both the north
and south ends.
Mineral county, the highway dc
partment and the contractor and
builder have overcome difficulties thai
can be appreciated only by seeing, but
the public is about to reap the reward
of their efforts in a road OF great
statewide benefit and convenience and
that, in many respects, has scenic
qualities that are unsurpassed.
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