Summer slowdowns on California roadways are par for the course. Families in RVs hitting the road, fishermen with boats, and truckers hauling cargo. But for one special week every year, dozens of people in covered wagons pulled by horses join the traffic on Highway 50 to celebrate the area’s golden history.
Since 1949, a group of dedicated enthusiasts participate every year in the HWY 50 Association’s Annual Wagon Train bi-state journey.
In the 1840s and 1850s, rumors of the California foothills being rife with a particular precious metal drove migration to the state with hopefuls looking to strike it rich. The “Roaring Road”, as it was known, was a pathway so popular the large number of travelers who traversed it made the route congested and hard to navigate.
Entering the 77th year of the event, horses clip clopped along the South Fork of the American River from Round Hill, Nevada, to Placerville, California, drivers rolling their wagons around the winding roads as onlookers honked in support from modern-day vehicles.
From the procession last week, HWY 50 Association President — and wagon master — Steve Downer was happy to report this year’s trip was rolling smoothly.
“It’s like you’re out of the day to day normal world,” Downer described the emotions of when he’s up on his horse. He was enjoying the journey, but also remained focused on the wellbeing of his fellow approximately 40 travelers and accompanying horses.
During the reenactment, participants ride a couple of miles and then break so the horses can rest and drink water.
“I’m looking at everything. I’m observing the beautiful views, of course, but I’m also watching everybody to be sure that they’re not crossing the line,” Downer said of the physical road markers and the event’s safety guidelines.
“We have rules out there, and it’s to make sure nobody’s in trouble,” he said. “If something breaks … we’ve got to stop everything and fix it.”
Colleen Brown, who runs Lodi-based pet groomers Beauty of the Beast, has participated in the trail ride for the last six years. She admires the generations of folks dedicated to making the wagon train happen.
“It’s kind of like camp for adults,” Brown said. “It’s not all fun and games. Sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s freezing, sometimes it’s snowing or raining, hailing. But most of the time, it’s fun, and we all hang out every night, and yeah, it’s like family.”
For Brown, it’s also an opportunity to visit her father, who lives in Placerville, and to spend time with her horses.
Alice Schud, who’s been participating in the event since 1997, had been interested in the Donner Party and was thrilled to learn about the wagon train when she moved to Placerville in 1989.
“My thing that I do is, close your eyes and listen to the wheels of the wagon squeaking,” Schud said. “Listen to the sounds of the clops of the horses, listen to the people talking, and imagine yourself riding across the prairie in the 1800s.”
Bruce Bethamcourt brought along his 9-year-old granddaughter Charlotte Addison along for the ride this year. Bethamcourt said he owed her after sponsoring her siblings to take a traditional train ride — the locomotive variety. Her siblings declined to join the wagon train, but Charlotte jumped at the chance.
“I think it’s good for them to experience it, even although there are times of boredom,” Bethamcourt said looking at Charlotte, denim clad and alternating between reading, resting her eyes and snacking on pretzels.
“It’s still an adventure, still a memory,” he said. “It still, you know, takes you out of your everyday life of whatever it may be, and it puts you back in time.”
