Theodore Judah and the Dutch Flat Route.

By Charles R. Spinks, M.S., P.E., M.ASCE

This article explains that, after field-checking several Sierra Nevada crossings in 1860, engineer Theodore Judah determined the most practical transcontinental rail line ran from Sacramento up the Bear River–North Fork American divide through Dutch Flat and over Donner Pass. It further debunks the popular tale that Dutch Flat druggist Daniel Strong “showed” Judah the route, noting that Strong’s sole 1887 claim lacks any contemporary corroboration and conflicts with Judah’s own records.