100th anniverary of historic military convoy heading through South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - 100 years ago, the US Army Motor Transport Corps convoy traveled along the brand new (and now famed and historic) Lincoln Highway from coast to coast. They covered over 3,000 miles from Washington, D.C. to Oakland, California on road, then ferried over to their end in San Francisco.

Now, in 2019, the Military Vehicle Preservation Association is will follow the original Lincoln Highway route as closely as possible during the 100th Anniversary Convoy across the United States, and South Lake Tahoe is on that route.

On Thursday, September 12, 34 historic military vehicles will be leaving the fairgrounds in Fallon, Nevada at 7:00 a.m. and head to Carson City for lunch at the Railroad Museum before heading up to South Lake Tahoe via US50 and Spooner Summit.

They travel at a maximum of 35 mph.

In the convoy are a 1918 Dodge Staff car, just like ones in the original convoy, 15-20 Jeeps from WWII and Vietnam, 3/4 ton WWII, Korean War and Vietnam trucks as well as a 2.5 ton cargo truck.

People from around the world are taking part in this convoy which is under the command of Dan McCluskey. Six are from New Zealand, two from Belgium and others from France and Brazil.

The group should be hitting Stateline around 1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. They will then proceed down Pioneer Trail and over Johnson Pass Road on their way to Placerville, their home for the night.

The convoy ends in San Francisco on Saturday at Lincoln Park and the Legion of Honor. Their base for the night will be onboard the USS Hornet.

In 1919, the convoy was led by Lt Col Charles W. McClure and Capt Bernard H. McMahon as respective expedition and train commanders and civilian Henry C. Ostermann of the Lincoln Highway Association was the pilot. 83 Official observers included those from the Air Service, A.S.A.P., Coast and Field Artillery, Medical Corps, Ordnance, Signal Corps and Tank Corps including the then Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Eisenhower used much of what he learned along the rough route of the Lincoln Highway and its lack of bridges during operations in Europe during the war, and again while in the White House.