Alpine County California

Alpine County Landmarks

NO. 240 MARKLEE'S CABIN SITE - Jacob J. Marklee recorded his land claim of 160 acres on June 23, 1862, in Douglas County, Nevada, but after the boundary survey his claim was in California. During the rush to the Comstock Lode, the town of Markleeville was built upon Marklee's land - the Alpine County Courthouse now occupies the site of his cabin.
Location: County Courthouse, Markleeville

NO. 315 KIT CARSON MARKER - On this spot, the summit of the Kit Carson Pass, stood the Kit Carson Tree on which the famous scout Kit Carson inscribed his name in 1844 when he guided the then Captain John C. Frémont, head of a government exploring expedition, over the Sierra Nevada. The original inscription was cut from the tree in 1888 and is now in Sutter's Fort, Sacramento.
Location: On State Hwy 88 (P.M. 5.2), 14.5 mi W of Woodfords

NO. 318 EBBETTS PASS ROUTE - The Emigrant Trail through Ebbetts Pass, discovered by and named after 'Major' John Ebbetts, was opened up in the early 1850s, but no wagon road went that way until 1864, when a toll road, under the name of Carson Valley and Big Tree Road, was completed to help open up the Comstock Lode in Nevada.
Location: Ebbetts Pass on Hwy 4 (P.M. 18.5), 18 mi SW of Markleeville

NO. 378 MEMORIAL TO PIONEER ODD FELLOWS - On some large rocks near Carson Pass, a group of pioneers inscribed their names and the emblem of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1849.
Location: On State Hwy 88 (P.M. 5.3), 14.4 mi W of Woodfords

NO. 661 OLD EMIGRANT ROAD - Here the Old Emigrant Road of 1848 swung down across the meadow now covered by Caples Lake (Twin Lakes) and climbed along the ridge at the right to the gap at the head of the valley. From this summit (9,460 feet) it descended to Placerville. This rough and circuitous section became obsolete in 1863 when a better route was blasted out of the face of the cliff at Carson Spur.
Location: Lake Caples, on State Hwy 88 (P.M. 2.4), 173 mi W of Woodfords

NO. 805 PONY EXPRESS REMOUNT STATION AT WOODFORDS - Woodfords became a remount station of the Pony Express on April 4, 1860, when Warren Upson scaled the mountains in a blinding snowstorm and made his way down the eastern slope of the Sierra on his way to Carson City. Five weeks later the Pony Express was rerouted by way of Echo Summit and Luther Pass.
Location: On Hwy 89, 0.1 mi N of intersection of State Hwy 4 and Old Pony Express Rd, Woodfords

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