Nevada 149 Robinson 1922-2019
Welcome to this week’s edition of White Pine: Then & Now.
Today, we are looking at US Highway 50 (Lincoln Highway) in Jakes Valley, about 23 miles west of Ely. In the original photo, taken in 1922, the photographer set up his camera approximately 10 miles west of Robinson Summit and faced east. I can only assume the car at the right side of the photograph belongs to the photographer. The road had recently been relocated to this route from the original 1913 route just about 10 miles to the south (to the right). The reason for this was largely due to the expansion of mining operations in Ruth since the highway passed through the areas that the pits would soon occupy. So, as part of the first improvements to the Lincoln Highway in about 1920, a new road graded over Robinson Pass, which had the added bonus of being an easier crossing of this mountain range.
In the current view, taken August 13, 2019, we can see that the scene, with the singular exception of the road now being paved, is absolutely unchanged in the nearly 100 years that has gone by. I took great care to try and even park my truck in the same spot as the original photographer.
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