An automobile is headed down the grade at Donner Summit. This photograph was
taken before the use of snow removal equipment. The snow was hand dug by eager
merchants and others who were looking for the first customer to come over the
summit.
Above is a fantastic shot of a couple of automobiles headed down into the
auto subway under the Southern Pacific tracks next to the China Wall. The snow
looks dirty, as the very same people who hand-dug the snow would bring ash and
coal dust to sprinkle on the snow in an attempt to help it melt faster.
This photograph shows the first snow removal equipment on Donner Pass. These
vehicles didn’t work the original Lincoln, but the early Highway 40, which
followed the second-generation Lincoln Highway.
The first two photos courtesy of the Donner Summit Historical Society, Norm Sayler Collection