Donner Pass Airway Station & Beacon

Donner Summit was crossed not only by the first wagon trains, the first transcontinental railroad, and the first transcontinental highway, but also by the first transcontinental airway. In the early years of aviation, pilots flew only when they could see, but demand for more reliable flying and for airmail led the federal government to develop airways while entrepreneurs improved airplanes. During the 1920's, planes began carrying radios and guidance devices, and radio signals, lighted beacons, and emergency landing strips were established at regular intervals to guide pilots. On Signal Hill, at the top of Donner Ski Ranch, a rotating beacon marked the summit, with two lights below it oriented east-west to indicate the official airway. Nearby, airway station #15 stood with "SF - SL 15" painted on one side of its roof and "Donner" on the other. Like other airway stations placed along the transcontinental route across the country, it provided current weather information, tracked traffic, and handled communication. The station on Donner Summit was commissioned in 1931 and decommissioned in 1952 after aircraft began using more advanced technology, more powerful radio beacons, and higher flight paths that made such beacons unnecessary. The Donner station was an especially difficult assignment because winter snowfalls reached 40 feet, forcing personnel to travel miles over snow to reach the train station for mail and supplies, though some operators skied all the way down to Truckee.

California · United States