What enduring effects the federal economic stimulus package, making its way through Congress, will have on the Mother Lode remains anyone’s guess.
But past major infrastructure spending — like that presented in President Barack Obama’s plan, called the most ambitious since the Interstate highway system was built in the 1950s — made an impression on the region that has survived for decades.
They include schools, trails and some other things of which people might not think. They also created jobs and laid the foundation for an economy fueled by natural resources and tourism.