SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For a group of modern-day pioneers, traversing the same road in the same way many did in the 1800s hoping to strike it lucky during California’s gold rush, the day really gets going at the sound of a familiar cry from the era.

“OK, wagons ho!” Wagon Master Steve Downer cries.

Before the cry to start the wagon train meandering down Highway 50, wagon driver Cecilia Smith said there is much to do to get the wagon train underway.

The annual event organized by the historical Highway 50 Association aims to keep the state’s history alive, reliving the journey many pioneers made.

Smith has been doing it since the ‘90s and said it’s a privilege.

“My very first year the lead hitch driver Oliver Milhouse let me sit up in the box and hold the wheel lines. That’s the back two brake horses,” Smith said. “And oh man, I was just, that was it, I was done, my heart just beats for this now.”

The event is in its 74th year and Downer said it began in 1949 to commemorate the 100-year celebration of the gold rush.

Downer said what is now Highway 50 was the main passageway for pioneers and was called the Roaring Road.

“It was so busy, and it was also a toll road,” he said. “So, you had to pay to go each section. There were many tolls along the road. And so, you’d have to wait to get a spot to get through and I’ve read some people have waited two weeks to get a spot to get through back in the day.”

The number of wagons involved, Downer said, varies from year to year with some years seeing around 36 wagons.

Wagon teamster Mark Matson is lucky enough to drive one of the two original wagons owned by the organization from the 1800s, and said the ride feels authentic given the wagons have no suspension — even with asphalt roads.

“Lucky for me I come with a lot of padding that’s already naturally there,” Matson said. “You know, I’m not going to say it’s a luxury vehicle. More than anything, my hands will fall asleep sometimes from pulling on the horses. I just love it.”

The wagons even have a police escort over the eight-day journey from Nevada to Placerville, California.

Next year will be a big celebration commemorating the 75th year.

Smith said she has a strong feeling she’ll be back.

“I’ll be back for life,” she said. “My heart would have to stop beating for me to stop being part of the Highway 50 wagon train.”

A strong conviction to be sure, and why Smith said for her, there’s nothing to compare to the wagon train and bringing history back to life.

To learn more about the group and follow along on the wagon train’s journey that will end in Placerville on June 10, visit their Facebook page.