Since the 1850s, the region has always been referred to as a junction to Beckwourth Pass and the Sierra Valley. It has been told that emigrants in the 1850s, when they arrived at this spot, shouted “Hallelujah” whey they saw Beckwourth Pass—at 5228’ its the lowest pass over the Sierra. In 1932, Orville Stoy took up an 80-acre homestead there. Stoy built a gas station and it became a popular stop, known as Hallelujah Junction. In time, a bar, restaurant and motel were constructed. There was even the “Hallelujah International Airport” that consisted of a couple of airplane hangers and a runway that was an abandoned stretch of Highway 70. In 1973, the State of California purchased Hallelujah Junction. It was obliterated for the construction of the four-lane freeway from there to the Nevada State line. In 1991, a gas station and convenience store was built at the junction of Highway 395 and 70.
