Arrowhead Trail (1914-1924)
Clark County, Clark County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Arrowhead Trail (1914 1924). Las Vegas promoters claimed to be the originators of this all-weather route between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. From the beginning, the Arrowhead Trail was a “grass roots” effort, including promotion by various chambers of commerce and volunteer construction by local citizens. However, it was Charles H. Bigelow, from Los Angeles, who gave the trail publicity. Between 1915 & 1916, he drove the entire route many times in the twin-six Packard he named “Cactus Kate.”The trail, which extends near here, was built in 1915 and completed the section between St. Thomas and Las Vegas. In its day it denoted a milestone of progress.
Erected by Elbert B. Edwards
The Story
The Arrowhead Trail was an all-weather auto route linking Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, championed by Las Vegas boosters who claimed to have originated it. It was a grassroots effort—promoted by chambers of commerce and built by volunteer labor—that gained wide fame when Los Angeles's Charles H. Bigelow drove the route repeatedly in 1915–1916 in his twin-six Packard, "Cactus Kate." The section near here, completed in 1915 between St. Thomas and Las Vegas, marked a real milestone in early automobile travel.
Why it matters
The Arrowhead Trail belongs to the dawn of American car culture, when named highways stitched the West together and turned isolated desert towns into stops on a national road.
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Related people
- · Charles H. Bigelow
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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