Road Trip May 2009 Carson Pass Scenic Byway

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Road Trips May 2008 & 2009

Carson Scenic Byway
Three Graves along the Road

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California's State Route 88 is one of our favorite ways to get across the Sierra Nevada. From an ancient Indian trading road, the Carson Route has evolved over generations to meet the need of travelers and is today one of the nation's celebrated Scenic Byways.

Here is a brief history of Carson Pass Scenic Byway
In 1844, John C. Fremont and Kit Carson followed the old Indian route over a path that is now named after Kit Carson. The five-month journey, made with 25 men, was a success, and Fremont's report was published by the U.S. Congress. It touched off a wave of wagon caravans filled with hopeful emigrants heading west. As part of the California Trail, the route over Carson Pass became the most heavily used Sierra crossing for farmers and gold-seekers to reach the gold fields and farm homesteads in California. It has been estimated that between 1844 and 1860 a quarter million people made the journey along this road.
A migration in the opposite direction started in 1862 when silver was discovered in Comstock Lodge, Nevada, leading to the construction of a formal road, called the Amador-Carson Valley Wagon Road.
With the advent of the automobile in 1911, the old wagon road was replaced by the Alpine State Highway. The narrow, windy road accommodated animals, wagons, and the first slow moving cars.
After a road widening project in the 1930s, the road was improved again in 1958, following the construction of Lower Bear Reservoir.
With the establishment of winter recreation areas and the road now being available for modern cars, more and more people came to visit this beautiful area. The marker to the left, erected by the Native Daughters of the Golden West is a monument to the people who literally "paved the way." It is located near Pioneer at the beginning of the Scenic Byway.
The stories of the pioneers are stories of heroism and stories of human sacrifice. Three grave sites along the road tell the story of the pioneer days better than we could tell it.

Tragedy Spring

Tragedy Spring Monument, erected by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers

SHL Marker In the 1840s and 50s, this little spring along the old emigrants trail was a traditional resting place for California Settlers. It was named for an incident on June 27, 1848, when three scouts were murdered here by unknown people. The three men were former members of the Captain Davis's Company A of the Mormon Battalion. They were the first people to open a wagon road over the southern route from California to Utah in 1848. Their comrades carved their names in a tree nearby at the trail. That part of the tree is now preserved in Fort Sutter in Sacramento. The State of California declared the location a Historic Landmark and erected a Historic Marker (left) at the location of the tree. In addition, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers built a monument in honor of the three scouts right next to the spring picture above).

DUP Marker The original Spring The spring is right next to the monument

One of the members of the wagon train noted the following in his diary:

"We cut the following inscription in the Balsam Fir that stood near the grave. To the memory of Daniel Browett, Ezrah H. Allen, and Henderson Cox, who were supposed to have been murdered and buried by Indians on the night of June 27, A.D., 1848. We call the place Tragedy Spring."

You can read more about it at Traveling the Mormon Trail.

USDA El Dorado National Forest and the Sacramento Chapter of Daughters of Utah Pioneers joined forces and built a picnic area at the spring. Unfortunately, it was too early in the year for a picnic.

In the summer, one can drive all the way to the monument.
We were there in mid May and, considering the road conditions, chose to hike instead.

It turned out we weren't really prepared for a hike either.

The Maiden's Grave

Maiden's Grave, erected by Steven Ferrari

In the fall of 1850, a wagon trek from Iowa fought its way over the snowy passes of the Sierra Nevada, following the call of the gold. Times were hard and not everybody made it to golden California. Amongst the casualties was a young girl named Rachel who was put to rest on a meadow near Tragedy Spring at the base of a large fir tree.
Many years later, her mother returned and tried to find the grave but was unsuccessful. However, some guests at the nearby Kirwood Inn heard about the Mother's futile search. They knew about a grave only two miles west of Tragedy Spring and wrongfully assumed that that must be Rachel's grave. They also remembered that the grave was originally marked with a wooden board listing the name Melton and the date of October 4, 1850. They donated a headstone for what they thought was Rachel Melton's resting place and for decades to come, the place along the Emigrant Trail was known as "the Maiden's Grave" and eventually became one of California's first Historic Landmarks.
Again many years later, in 1986, Steven Ferrari, landowner of a meadow at the Tragedy Spring Loop discovered the rock outline of a grave when he was clearing brush and burning some fallen trees. As it turned out, this was the real grave of young Rachel, whose last name remains a mystery since her mother never returned to the place. Mr. Ferrari erected a headstone and those who know the location can now go to the right place to pay tribute to an unfortunate pioneer girl.
After confirming the authenticity of the Maiden's Grave at Mr. Ferrari's property it took three more years of research to find out who was really buried at this wrongly labeled Historic Landmark. In 1989, a diary notice was discovered, referring to a young man named Allen Melton from Henry County, ID, who was buried here on October 4, 1840.
The California Historical Landmark along the highway is still (wrongfully) named "Maiden's Grave" and the original headstone for "Rechall Melton", the girl who never existed, is still in place. But there is now also a plaque explaining the mix-up and a headstone for Allen Melton, the young man who was put to rest here.

Headstone for "Rechall Melton" The grave site along the Emigrant Trail

"Wrong" CHL Marker Plaque explaining the whole story Headstone for Allen Melton