Jedediah Smith is reputed to have been the first white man to cross over or near Sonora Pass in 1827. A portion of the road was built by Tuolumne County Water Company in 1852 and a toll gate, fine hotel, and stables were located near this spot in the 1850s. Surveyed to Bridgeport, Mono County in 1860, the road was completed in 1864, when a six-horse team took three weeks for the round trip between Sonora and Bridgeport.

Citation from California Office of Historic Preservation