The highway crosses over Star Creek and passes through the Dun Glen Flat as it heads into Mill City.

[3] The route's history begins as far back as 1933, when it appeared on official Nevada maps as a county road, diverging from old U.S. Route 40 beginning in Mill City and heading southerly past the current terminus through the town of Rochester, then westerly to reconnect to US 40.

[6] By 1941, SR 50 had been rerouted slightly to bypass Rochester to the north, connecting west to Oreana more directly and shaving 3 miles (4.8 km) off the route's length.

[7] The northern end of the route, composing the current limits of the highway, was paved by 1959.

However, the route would be affected by the 1976 renumbering of Nevada's state highway system that began on July 1, 1976.