Genoa Peak Road, Glenbrook

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER NEV,3-GLENB.V,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The western end of the Genoa Peak Road segment intersects Interstate Highway 50 miles west of the Spooner Summit Res* Area. USGS GlenbrooK ptevBdft Quadrangle, UTM Coordinates: A (West end) B (Central Section) C (Central Section) D (East end) Date of Construction: circa Engineer: Unknown Builder: Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Pluming Company

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER NEV,3-GLENB.V,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Genoa Peak Road was a major historic log haul road used for timber harvest activities associated with the Cornstock mining era. This road once interconnected an elaborate network of secondary and tertiary wood skid roads and served as a main artery for wood transport to Spooner Summit, the key lumberyard for the C&TL&FCo.. Its period of significance extends from through The structural integrity of this roadbed is highly intact and the overall appearance and character of the graded earthen alignment is preserved and the road still retains most of its century character as a Cornstock era log haul road.

Report Prepared Rebecca Palmer by: Assistant Forest Archaeologist Toiyabe National Forest United States Forest Service United States Department of Agriculture Franklin Way Sparks, Nevada Date: November GENOA PEAK ROAD HAER Page 2

Description

The Genoa Peak Road and the Genoa Peak Road, Spur are 10-foot wide graded earthen travelways which are approximately 1.5 miles and feet in length from Genoa Peak to Interstate Highway 50. No other historic features outside of the graded roadbeds are located along these historic log haul routes. On-site examinations and archival research indicate that the historical integrity of these log haul roads are substantially unaltered from their original structure. The overall routes of the Genoa Peak Road and the Genoa Peak Road, Spurs appear to be fundamentally the same as that depicted on historic maps [U.S.Q.S. reprinted . Although decades of exposure and disuse have resulted in roadbed erosion and deterioration, the structural integrity of these features is highly intact.

The overall appearance and character of the road alignments are preserved and it still retains most of their century character as a Comstock era log haul roads. The setting for this features is enhanced by its relatively long distance away from a modern highway or travel route. The only notable additions to the original structure of the Genoa Peak Road and the Genoa Peak Road, Spur are the numerous waterbars constructed by the Forest Service in the early These features were located in the roadbed where there was a high probability of downslope erosion and channeling of runoff down the road. The waterbars consist of a 1 foot to a 2 foot wide channel that was excavated across the road bed.

The dirt produced from this construction was then placed in a mound that is located along the entire length of the downslope side of the channel. II. Historical Information The Comstock would not have attained its level of complexity without adequate sources of wood which were supplied by the Tahoe Basin and the area surrounding the Genoa Peak Road. In order to remove the timber from the slopes of the Tahoe Basin and transport it down to the Comstock, a complex supply system of roads, railroads, and flumes was integrated with the innovative logging techniques. The Genoa Peak Road and the Genoa Peak Road, Spur appear to have functioned as a major wood haul roads within the historic Comstock wood conveyance system which centered around Spooner Summit.

This primary system road once interconnected an elaborate network of secondary and tertiary wood skid roads and served as main artery for wood transport to Spooner Summit. GENOA PEAK ROAD HAER Page 3 It has been said that the mines of the Cornstock Lode are literally the tombs of the forests of the Sierra. Eliot Lord in estimated that fully 600 million feet board measure of lumber had been buried in the Comstock mines, enough to build a town of six-room houses for people. Not less that 80 million feet of timber and lumber were annually consumed on the Comstock Lode and more than two million cords of wood were consumed as fuel at the hoisting works and by the mills.

The urgent demand for fuel wood and the more pressing needs of the mineB and those of the growing settlements created an insatiable demand for lumber. Areas east of the crest of the Carson Range were soon depleted of their timber and harvesting was directed to the Lake Tahoe Basin. Much of the logging was done on a contract basis with local loggers who supplied stipulated amounts of timber for large firms. The need for enormous quantities of timber led to the formation of companies with ample capital to handle larger operations on a scale sufficient to supply the demand. Four major lumber companies operated within the Tahoe Basin.

Each developed an impressive network of sawmills, railroads, tramways, flumes, and rafting operations which were designed to cut and move the lumber over the crest of the Carson Range and down to the mines of Washoe. The Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Pluming Company established their key receiving and sending lumber yard at Spooner Summit. Their operations at Spooner Summit formed the critical link for wood transport from the Tahoe Basin to the Carson Valley. There was smooth, logical flow of material from the woods to the mills to the consumers. Wood was cut on the mountains around the summit and transported short ranges on large wagons by haul road to the summit yard. Longer distances were covered more economically by dragging the logs with horses through log chutes and skid roads.

The Glenbrook Railroad delivered lumber from the mills at Glenbrook which had operated around Spooner Summit since The Company held a virtual monopoly over wood and water resources in this region until III. PROPOSED ALTERATIONS The Carson Ranger District of the Toiyabe National Forest has proposed in the Spooner Summit Timber Sale to harvest timber from a acre section of land around Spooner Summit. The purpose of the Bale is to remove insect and drought-damaged commercial timber, reduce the risk of hazardous trees in recreation areas and travelways, and to remove a fire risk from the immediate vicinity. GENOA PEAK ROAD # HAER Page 4 Selective thinning of timber stands will encompass timber of varying sizes and include multiple species.

Harvested timber will generally be transported from felling locations by helicopter to designated helicopter landings sites. Within the project area, the Genoa Peak Road and the Genoa Peak Road, Spur will be used for ground transport of timber from the helicopter landings. A number of alterations are proposed along the Genoa Peak Road. The first is located at the road's juncture with Forest Service Road to accommodate logging trucks entering the project limits. Most existing water bars on the Genoa Peak Road will be maintained, but fifteen will be removed temporarily to facilitate truck traffic. All removed water bars will be restored after harvesting activities in order to prevent further erosion within the roadbed.

In addition, three short segments of road between are scheduled to be resurfaced with an aggregate mixture. These locations will be approximately 12 feet in width and the material will be approximately six inches in depth. Five turnouts will be constructed along the Genoa Peak Road at Mileposts and This turnouts will be a minimum of eight feet wide, 50 feet long, and will have 25-foot tapers at each end. Two trees, 20-inch pine and a 28-inch fir, will be removed in order to construct the turnout at The remainder of the Genoa Peak Road, as well as the Genoa Peak Road, Spur, will be graded but the alignment will not be altered. Several modifications are proposed within the Genoa Peak Road, Spur prism.

The most significant of these are two Helipads and These pads consist of one-acre parcels proposed for construction adjacent to the Genoa Peak Road, Spur. A short spur road must be constructed from the Genoa Peak Road, Spur to Helipad Helipad #15 is immediately adjacent to the Genoa Peak Road, Spur and will require no spur road for access. In order to reduce the potential erosion hazard created timber harvesting in the immediate vicinity of this feature, six waterbars, similar to those described in Section I of this report, will be constructed along the steeper portions of the Genoa Peak Road, Spur. The final construction activity planned for the Genoa Peak Road, Spur consists of an improvement of the existing stream crossing on the northern end of the segment.

This construction will reduce the angle of the stream banks and therefore reduce the future erosion potential in the immediate vicinity of the crossing. IV.

Sources

Biosystems Analysis, Inc. Determination of Eligibility and Effect For The Spooner Timber Sale on the Toiyabe National Forest, prepared by Susan Lindstrom, September GENOA PEAK ROAD HAER Page 5 Plans and Maps United States Geological Survey, Map on File Nevada Historical Society, Reno. Reprint Plan for Construction, Genoa Peak Road, Toiyabe National Forest.

Project Information

This documentation has been prepared by the Toiyabe National Forest as part of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Nevada Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. This documentation waB prepared prior to construction on the Genoa Peak Road and the Genoa Peak Road, Spur. The original determination of eligibility for the Genoa Peak Road and the Genoa Peak Road, Spur was written by Susan Lindstrom as part of a subcontract with Biosysterns Analysis, Inc.. The documentation provided in this HAER record is based on a previous investigation conducted by Susan Lindstrom. The photographer for this project was David Lanner of the Carson District, Toiyabe National Forest. GENOA. PEAK ROAD HAER NO. Page 6 FIGURE 1: TOPOGRAPHIC MAP SHOWING THE ROUTE OF THE GENOA PEAK ROAD SEGMENT U.S.G.S.

Quad: Glenbrook, Nev. Scale: 1" = /|\ Photorevised 1 cm m 118 m Nt Dashed Line Represents the Genoa Peak Road Segment GENOA PEAK ROAD HAER NO. Page 7 FIGURE 2: PLANS FOR THE PROPOSED ALTERATIONS TO THE GENOA PEAK ROAD PART A PROJECT SHEET HO. OENOA PEAK ROAD 1 OF 1 IIN31 U.P. .34 MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR U.P. ,M SPOONER SALVAOE PROJECT CARSON RANOER DISTRICT MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR T01YASE NATIONAL FOREST rrr U.P.0.71 MAINTAIN EXIST UATERBAR. -+ REMOVE EXIST WATERS*!) REPLACE AFTER HAUL. M.P.O.M UP.0.71 ' ^'Z HEMOVE EXIST. UATERBAR 'rr^''..i MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR. REPLACE AFTER HAUL CONSTRUCT TLRNCUT RT. U.P. .J ^ ' MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR U.P.O.'1 REMOVE EXIST. UATERBAR U.P.O.30 REPLACE AFTER HAUL. REMOVE EXIST. UATERBAR REPLACE AFTER WU-. UP O.T< MAINTAIN EXIST.

UATERBAR END AOOREOATE SURFACE, :^i;;; U.P.O.11 MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR U.P.O 49 MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR. U.P.O o MO IN AOOREOATE SLBFACE 0 INCH OEPTH. 11 FT UIOTH z C: MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR M.P 0 7 f U.P.O.15 REMOVE EXIST. UATERBAR REPLACE AFTER HAUL. ' REMOVE EXIST. UATERBAR REPLACE AFTER : U.P.O.IJ REMOVE EXIST. UATERBAR REPLACE AFTER HAUL : U.P.0.1) MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR M.P.O.M MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR : U.P.O.03 MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR . U.P. 9 0 EXISTlNQ OATE U.P.I) flEHOve EXIST. UATERBAR REPLACE AFTER HAUL CONSTRUCT TURNOUT RT. U.P UP. MAINTAIN EXIST. UATERBAR B PROJECT LIMITS JUNCTION 30 MIONUAT it GENOA PEAK ROAD HAER NO.

Page 8 FIGURE 3: PLANS FOR THE PROPOSED ALTERATIONS TO THE GENOA PEAK ROAD PART B GENOA PEAK ROM) SPOONER SALVAOC PROJCCT CARSON RAMlEft DISTRICT p.i.ii TOITABE NATIONAL FOREST H JUNCTION REAL ION TO ACCOMOOATE LCOOINO TRUCKS ENTERINQ PROJECT LIMITS. H> MAINTAIN EK 1ST WATERBAR. REPLACE AFTER HAUL. JUNCTION UN)] / ' * , REPLACE AFTER HAUL. CONSTRUCT TURNOUT RT. IIPI.II REMOVE 1 * PINE AM) STUMP IT y.P.I.M REMOVE EXIST, WATERBAR REMOVE IS' FIR AND STUMP LT. REMOVE EXIST. WATERBAR REPLACE AFTER MAUL TO IkWWVE ALIONUENT FOR HAUL REPLACE AFTER HALL. END AOOREQATE SURFACE OEQ< LOOS AM) STUMPS ON RT MAINTAIN EXIST WATERBAR UP. t I] CONSTRUCT TURNOUT RT BEBIN AOORESATE SURFACE U.f.l.tl ("DEPTH. U'WIDTH REMOVE EXIST. WATERBAR REPLACE AFTER HAUL GENOA PEAK ROAD HAER NO.

Page 9 FIGURE 4: TOPOGRAPHIC MAP SHOWING THE LOCATION OF PROPOSED ALTERATIONS TO THE GENOA PEAK ROAD U.S.G.S. Quad: Glenbrook, Nev. Scale: 1" = Photorevised 1 cm = 118 m N