Dutch Flat

The tiny town of Dutch Flat, population 160, was founded during the Gold Rush but also had significance to the Transcontinental Railroad. While the engineers were debating the best path for getting trains over the Sierra Nevada, a resident of Dutch Flat approached them with the solution. The corridor that runs along Dutch Flat, Donner Pass and Truckee proved not only viable for the railroad, but a century later for Interstate 80 as well. We visited the town on our recent trip to Lake Tahoe, and passed through the area again on the California Zephyr.