Participants and sponsors for 75th annual Wagon Train sought

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - In 1946, almost 100 years after the first cry of "Gold" echoed around the world, residents in El Dorado County started thinking about recreating a wagon train to commemorate the valiant struggles of the early emigrants who found their way to their homes in California via the old "Roaring Road."

Three years later, South Lake Tahoe and Stateline business owners and residents, along with those through the American Canyon and Placerville made that dream a reality to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gold Rush. Not only would it celebrate those who came to seek their fortunes, but the Highway 50 Wagon Train could bring visitors to South Lake Tahoe through the American River Canyon.

And now, the 75th annual Wagon Train is making preparations to make its trek through the Sierra from Stateline, Nevada to Placerville, California, and the public can play a vital role in supporting the moving history event.

To support the event, businesses, agencies or residents can sponsor a wagon and horse(s) starting at $1,250, and people can ride on wagons for $60 per day. Ride along on this historic event for the whole week as well. For registration information, visit HERE or to find out sponsorship opportunities, visit HERE.

The Hwy50 Wagon Train Association is a nonprofit, and it is costly to get the horses and gear through the week-long ride June 2 - June 8, 2024. They get their start at Round Hill Nevada with dinner and a gathering of the wagons on June 1, the same date at the Lake Tahoe Historical Society's Western Days. The Wagon Train will stop at the museum for lunch on June 2 as they head out of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The first Highway 50 Wagon Train in 1949 was a smashing success and was supposed to be a one-time event! This "one-time" event was not presented in 1950, but due to the overwhelming popularity and encouragement offered, the Wagon Train resumed in 1951 and has made its annual trek each year since then. What began as a fun-filled and exciting adventure has evolved into a truly historic event, recognized as such in 1980 by the State of California, and again in 1982 by the State of Nevada. To date, the Highway 50 Association Wagon Train is known as the ONLY Bi-State Historic Event!

When Queen Elizabeth II visited California in March 1983 with Prince Philip, she wanted to see the historic Wagon Train. Her majesty has a big appetite for history and interest in the heart of the West’s Gold Country. The Wagon Train group assembled the wagons and horses and went to Sacramento for a special ride with the Kit Carson Mountain Men and Women of the West. That special trip came at a time the wagon train was starting to fall apart, and the Queen's interest and trip reinvigorated the unique event.

As early as the 1840's, a trickle of humanity began the arduous journey toward the great Pacific and the freedom they foresaw in settling there. In 1849, the cry of "Gold" from the foothills of the California territory rocked the world! Instant riches was a lure too strong to ignore, and that little trickle of settlers swelled into a mighty flood of gold seekers and adventurers, bound for California and the "Mother Lode". Leaving property and families behind, hordes of men and a few women traveled West, following the setting sun, seeing only the glint of gold in their eyes. Many routes were taken to the gold fields; across the plains and mountain ranges of this great continent, by sailing ship around the Horn, or to the Isthmus of Panama, and a trek through tropical jungle to board another ship on the Pacific side, and up the coast of Mexico to ports of San Diego, Monterey, and San Francisco. From there, it was overland to the foothills, where it was told that gold, lots of gold, was lying on the ground, just waiting to be taken.

For more information on the US50 Wagon Train Association and the next month's activities along the trail, visit https://www.hwy50wagontrain.com/