Foote's Crossing Road
Encyclopedia
Foote's Crossing Road originates in North Columbia, California
and winds through the Tahoe National Forest
to connect with the community of Alleghany, California
. It is a Registered Historic Place.
The high bridge crossing at the Middle Yuba River
, named Foote's Crossing (California Point of Historical Interest
No. P401), gives the road its name. Alternate names for the road persist, including Tyler Foote Road, Tyler-Foote Road, Tyler Foote Crossing Road or Tyler-Foote Crossing Road due to Cherokee, California
, west of North Columbia, once being known as "Tyler".
's husband, the civil and mining engineer Arthur De Wint Foote
, became manager of Grass Valley's
North Star Mine
after building its powerhouse
in 1895. In 1911, O'Brien, Foote & Associates purchased the Tightner Mine in Alleghany. Foote built the road in 1913 to establish a better route between the two mines. The road was significant during the period of 1913–1924 both as an engineering accomplishment and as an improved transportation route.
walls prevalent on the tight curves above the Middle Yuba River. Views of jagged, granite
ridges abound along the way.
portion of the road begins in what is now Nevada City
's unincorporated community of North Columbia and passes Columbia Hill
via Edwards Crossing. before crossing Grizzly Creek, and then the middle fork of the Yuba River
.
The Tightner Mining Company and Sierra County
jointly built the Sierra County portion of the road, which skirts Kanaka Creek and the Lafayette Ridge on the road's southern side, but does cross Blue Ravine and Rapps Ravine. The Sierra County portion of the road is 13 miles (20.9 km) shorter than the older road.
North Columbia, California
North Columbia was a California Gold Rush town on the San Juan Ridge in Nevada County, California. Originally known as Columbia, Columbia Hill, or The Hill because of its proximity to Columbia Hill, it started as a gold miners' camp around 1851...
and winds through the Tahoe National Forest
Tahoe National Forest
Tahoe National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the state of California, northwest of Lake Tahoe. It includes the peak of Sierra Buttes, near Sierra City, which has views of Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta. It is located in parts of six counties. In descending order of forestland area...
to connect with the community of Alleghany, California
Alleghany, California
Alleghany is a small census-designated place in Sierra County, California, United States in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is situated in the Gold Country and continues to be a significant locale for gold mining. The famous Sixteen-to-One Mine has been in operation since the days of the...
. It is a Registered Historic Place.
The high bridge crossing at the Middle Yuba River
Yuba River
The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sacramento Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the Feather's most important branches, providing about a third of its flow. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South...
, named Foote's Crossing (California Point of Historical Interest
California Point of Historical Interest
California Points of Historical Interest are sites, buildings, features, or events that are of local significance and have anthropological, cultural, military, political, architectural, economic, scientific or technical, religious, experimental, or other value...
No. P401), gives the road its name. Alternate names for the road persist, including Tyler Foote Road, Tyler-Foote Road, Tyler Foote Crossing Road or Tyler-Foote Crossing Road due to Cherokee, California
Cherokee, California
Cherokee is a census-designated place in Butte County, California An area inhabited by Maidu Indians prior to the gold rush. But that conversly takes its name from a band of Cherokee prospectors who perfected a mining claim on the site. The population was 69 at the 2010 census...
, west of North Columbia, once being known as "Tyler".
History
Mary Hallock FooteMary Hallock Foote
Mary Hallock Foote was an American author and illustrator. She is best known for her illustrated short stories and novels portraying life in the mining communities of the turn-of-the-century American West.-Overview:...
's husband, the civil and mining engineer Arthur De Wint Foote
Arthur De Wint Foote
Arthur De Wint Foote was a mining and civil engineer who built Foote's Crossing across the Middle Yuba River and Foote's Crossing Road , and designed the hydraulic wheel for the North Star Mine Powerhouse, now a California Historical Landmark.-Early years:Foote was born...
, became manager of Grass Valley's
Grass Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Grass Valley had a population of 12,860. The population density was 2,711.3 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Grass Valley was 11,493 White, 46 African American, 208 Native American, 188 Asian, 9 Pacific Islander, 419 from other...
North Star Mine
North Star Mine
The North Star Mine was located on Lafayette Hill a short distance south of Grass Valley, California, USA. It was the second largest producer of gold during California’s Gold Rush. In 1898, the largest ever Pelton wheel for its time was built for the mine. The North Star Mine Company also owned...
after building its powerhouse
North Star Mine Powerhouse
The North Star Mine Powerhouse is located at the North Star Mine in Grass Valley, California, USA. When the mining operations expanded subsequent to the California Gold Rush, the powerhouse was added. In 1895, it became the site of the largest tangential water wheel in the world...
in 1895. In 1911, O'Brien, Foote & Associates purchased the Tightner Mine in Alleghany. Foote built the road in 1913 to establish a better route between the two mines. The road was significant during the period of 1913–1924 both as an engineering accomplishment and as an improved transportation route.
Structure
At a cost of $85,000, using manpower and animals, not machinery, it took six months to build the road, a portion of which is a narrow, roughly-graded, single-lane wagon shelf road, while other parts are paved. Wagons wound around bluffs 500 feet (152.4 m) above the canyons below. Italian stonemasons built the high stone embankmentEmbankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
walls prevalent on the tight curves above the Middle Yuba River. Views of jagged, granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
ridges abound along the way.
Route
The Nevada CountyNevada County, California
Nevada County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of California, in the Mother Lode country. As of 2010 its population was 98,764. The county seat is Nevada City.-History:Nevada County was created in 1851 from parts of Yuba County....
portion of the road begins in what is now Nevada City
Nevada City, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Nevada City had a population of 3,068. The population density was 1,399.7 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Nevada City was 2,837 White, 26 African American, 28 Native American, 46 Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 40 from other races,...
's unincorporated community of North Columbia and passes Columbia Hill
North Columbia, California
North Columbia was a California Gold Rush town on the San Juan Ridge in Nevada County, California. Originally known as Columbia, Columbia Hill, or The Hill because of its proximity to Columbia Hill, it started as a gold miners' camp around 1851...
via Edwards Crossing. before crossing Grizzly Creek, and then the middle fork of the Yuba River
Yuba River
The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sacramento Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the Feather's most important branches, providing about a third of its flow. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South...
.
The Tightner Mining Company and Sierra County
Sierra County, California
Sierra County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California, northeast of Sacramento on the border with Nevada. As of the 2010 census the population was 3,240, down from 3,555 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Downieville....
jointly built the Sierra County portion of the road, which skirts Kanaka Creek and the Lafayette Ridge on the road's southern side, but does cross Blue Ravine and Rapps Ravine. The Sierra County portion of the road is 13 miles (20.9 km) shorter than the older road.