Editing Altamont Pass (section)

== History ==
From the time of the [[California Gold Rush]], what is now Altamont Pass was called Livermore's Pass after [[Robert Livermore]], the owner of the [[Rancho Las Positas]] and a way station near the pass.  After the transcontinental railroad was built through the pass by Chinese laborers in 1869, [[Altamont, California|Altamont]], formerly The Summit, became a critical stopping point where helper engines pushed heavy trains over the steep grades of the pass.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Durham |first=David L. |title=California's geographic names: a gazetteer of historic and modern names of the state |date=1998 |publisher=Word Dancer Press |isbn=978-1-884995-14-9 |location=Clovis, Calif}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chronicling The Old Southern Pacific Tracy-Altamont Right-of-Way |url=https://tracyrail.org/southern-pacific-tracy-midway |access-date=2024-04-23 |website=Railtown Tracy |language=en-US}}</ref>

A narrow road, the Altamont Pass Road (once called the Stockton Road), was an early stagecoach route and formed part of the transcontinental [[Lincoln Highway]]. In 1938, [[Route 50 (California)|Highway 50]], a four lane freeway (now called Interstate 580) was built through Altamont Pass, replacing the two-lane Altamont Pass Road and bypassing Altamont. Four westbound lanes were later constructed in 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Livermore Heritage Guild - Town of Altamont |url=https://www.lhg.org/Documents/General/Altamont.html |access-date=2024-04-23 |website=www.lhg.org}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2013-08-08 |title=Tracing Tracy: Livermore Pass opened Tracy's future |url=https://www.ttownmedia.com/tracy_press/our_town/tracing-tracy-livermore-pass-opened-tracys-future/article_66e33bbd-c068-531e-ac0a-82257fd9bfeb.html |access-date=2024-04-23 |website=Tank Town Media |language=en}}</ref>