Boyd Toll Road
Douglas County, Douglas County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Boyd Toll Road. William H. Boyd was granted a Utah Territory franchise December 19, 1861 to provide a road to join Genoa to the Cradlebaugh toll road, the trunkline to the mining district of Esmeralda. Boyd’s toll road is still visible to the northwest and southeast from this marker. When the telegraph line from Placerville through Genoa was strung along it in 1863, the Boyd Road was also called “Telegraph Road.” It was purchased by Douglas County from Henry Van Sickle and Lawrence Gilman in 1876 for $2,650.
Erected by Carson Valley Historical Society
The Story
In December 1861 William H. Boyd received a Utah Territory franchise to build a road linking Genoa to the Cradlebaugh toll road, the main trunk line toward the Esmeralda mines. When the Placerville-to-Genoa telegraph line was strung along it in 1863, the route picked up a second name—"Telegraph Road." Douglas County bought the road in 1876 for $2,650, and its trace is still visible across the valley.
Why it matters
Boyd's road shows how transportation and communication advanced together on the frontier, as the same corridors that carried wagons soon carried the telegraph wire binding the West to the rest of the nation.
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Related people
- · William H. Boyd
- · Henry Van Sickle
- · Lawrence Gilman
Themes & tags
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