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Midland Trail In Nevada


man from Utah
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Hi the Midland trail in Nevada was part a coast to coast highway that follow the Lincoln Highway from Salt Lake City to Ely, Nv and then went south west to Big Pine California Via Tonopah, Nv. Layed out by A L Westgaurd before the Lincoln Highway and is perhaps the only road, that Carl Fisher was on in Nevada.

 

There is a 1916 Guide published by The Midland Trail log Book Company. This guide included West Virginia and St Louis Missouri. This guidle was unusal as it list both westbound and east bound. Many other guides like the Lincoln Highway list only the east to west.

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Hi the Midland trail in Nevada was part a coast to coast highway that follow the Lincoln Highway from Salt Lake City to Ely, Nv and then went south west to Big Pine California Via Tonopah, Nv. Layed out by A L Westgaurd before the Lincoln Highway and is perhaps the only road, that Carl Fisher was on in Nevada.

 

There is a 1916 Guide published by The Midland Trail log Book Company. This guide included West Virginia and St Louis Missouri. This guidle was unusal as it list both westbound and east bound. Many other guides like the Lincoln Highway list only the east to west.

 

Hey Man from Utah.....Welcome!

 

You are right on target about the Midland Trail, and it deserves a lot more attension than it gets! The guide you mention is available as a reprint, and is fairly easy to find. It is, in my humble opinion, one of the best guides ever printed....not quite as good as the Lincoln Highway Guides, but a close runner up. I only regret that they didn't treat the road in California mile by mile

 

You will appreciate the Midland Hotel in Green River, Utah, named in my opinion for the trail.

 

Utah has wonderful collections of old newspapers on line, and it is worth a little look up to read the descriptions as the trail blazers came from Colorado through Green River, Price, Helper, the Castle Gates, and westward. As I recall, half the men of Price were working to open a road through the Gates, and the women of the town were frying up every chicken in sight.

 

Having traveled the Lincoln in Nevada I have obviously traveled some of the Midland, but alas, not the section south and west of Ely. It is on my list. And if you are fond of the Midland, visit the photos at the University of Michigan Lincoln Highway collection, because they have some of the Midland section west of Ely.

 

We have lots of stuff to discuss here and we need a Midland advocate!

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Once upon a time I looked ever so feebly for Midland Trail documentation then forgot about it after coming up empty. This thread reminded me of that along with giving me something secific to look for. As a result, I just ordered a reasonably priced ($8.05) copy of the reprint from Abebooks.

 

Thanks for the reminder & your comments and welcome to the forum.

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Once upon a time I looked ever so feebly for Midland Trail documentation then forgot about it after coming up empty. This thread reminded me of that along with giving me something secific to look for. As a result, I just ordered a reasonably priced ($8.05) copy of the reprint from Abebooks.

 

Thanks for the reminder & your comments and welcome to the forum.

 

 

Denny,

 

I think you will enjoy the reprint guide. It is probably the most important item I can point to in generating my initial interest in the Auto Trails, Blazed Trails, Named Trails. I'll look forward to your reaction after looking at it.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Denny,

 

I think you will enjoy the reprint guide. It is probably the most important item I can point to in generating my initial interest in the Auto Trails, Blazed Trails, Named Trails. I'll look forward to your reaction after looking at it.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

The book arrived a few days ago but I just now gave it some attention. I think I was a little fearful after hearing of the addictive powers you attribute to it. :D

 

I'd only found bits and pieces of the Midland Trail before and this book describes the route completely in both directions. Good stuff and I may try plotting it on modern roads someday. I'm not much of an expert on guides of the period but this strikes me as fairly typical although it may be a bit more informative than most. There is a section on the National Highway Association between the west and east directions and that seemed unusual. At least its hope for the NHA seemed unusual but maybe that was common in 1916.

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  • 1 year later...

I would think not knowing that the Midland Trail would be near US 6 going from Ely to Tonopah in Nevada.

 

I just bought a hard cover copy of the Midland trail from Amazon $10.

 

I went from Tonopah to Ely in 1979 and plan on doing it again this year in late Aug.

 

Dale

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I would think not knowing that the Midland Trail would be near US 6 going from Ely to Tonopah in Nevada.

 

I just bought a hard cover copy of the Midland trail from Amazon $10.

 

I went from Tonopah to Ely in 1979 and plan on doing it again this year in late Aug.

 

Dale

 

Dale,

 

I didn't know there was a hard cover Midland Trail book. I have a couple of the green soft cover reproductions of their 1916 guide. It is an excellent tool, and I recommend it for your planned trip. It should be available used at ABE or Amazon.

 

There are some terrific old photos of the Midland Trail along that section of the road among those in the Lincoln Highway collection at the University of Michigan on line site. I have been tempted to see if I could do a "then and now" using them, but never got around to it.

 

The site is here: UM

 

Just do a search on Midland Trail.

 

(BTW, the University of Michigan has presented the material in an excellent manner. They deserve great credit for doing what other institutions that hold donated materials should do. Many institutions, including publicly funded ones, make small images available on line and charge outrageous fees to see an image in detail. I have a nice collection and it will never go to an institution that makes it hard for interested people to enjoy it. Don't donate your prized collection to an institution that intends to hide it!!!! Kudos to the University of Michigan!)

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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  • 2 weeks later...

In May when I drove on US 6 over Montgomery Pass in Western Nevada, there were parts of the old road I think that could driven

on.

 

My Benchmark Nevada Atla shows a dirt road going east from Basalt to almost SR 264 that could part of the Midland Trail.

 

Dale

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