Transportation into Whitmore country other than by trail began with Basin Hollow Road in about 1857. The road began at Webb and Stevenson's Mill on the South Fork of Cow Creek and ran westerly about four miles to Boyce's ranch, then to Basin Hollow at Mrs. Mears' Ranch [about Whitmore Road and Fern West], then down the basin to Martin's ranch, then down Clover Creek to Stroud's ranch, a distance of about 12 miles.

J. E. Covey, an early settler, wrote:

[Tamarack Road] was opened by David B. Branstetter, known as Kentuck, in 1874. It connected Millville via Whitmore with Burney and Fall City. It was one of the main thoroughfares through the county to Oregon and Washington. About a mile above Kentuck's in the Tamarack Valley the road forked: one branch connecting with the Winter's Toll Road to Burney; the other branch going up Hat Creek and connecting with the Baker's Toll Road to Fall City.

W. H. Colby, in A Century of Transportation in Shasta County 1821-1920, wrote about the roads:

[One] route went through Palo Cedro, Millville, and Whitmore to Burney. This was the Tamarack Road . . . No tolls were collected on . . . these two roads except at the Pit River crossing at Fall River. This [Tamarack] was an early emigrant road and was widely traveled for years because of the lack of tolls. It later became the drovers' road for both cattle and sheep.

A. G. J. Paine, in Wagons Northeast, in the 1959 Covered Wagon, wrote:

In 1884 . . . our long and arduous journey by covered wagon over the old and steep Tamarac Road leading to faraway Fall River Mills. . . . We were soon on our way to Whitmore, where we camped for the night, cooking our meals on a campfire and sleeping in wagons. . . . We were soon at the steep, crooked Tamarac Grade known far and wide as a tough road. But it was a free county road, devoid of toll, this being a big item to the struggling settler and pioneer. Here one of the wagons was left standing, while its two horses were attached to the other wagon, making a four-horse team for the steep climb to the summit, [this was known as "teaming" up the grade] where this wagon was left. The horses and driver returning to the bottom of the hill to fetch No. 2 wagon to the summit, where we again proceeded in normal manner.

When they brought the wagons back down, they chained large logs to the back of the wagon to act as brakes.

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