Historic Highway 99 Association of California
Dedicated to the preservation of California's Main Street – former US Highway 99
Message from the President It’s been a while since our last newsletter went out. Things have been somewhat busy on my end, and it isn’t easy to get these going. Help is very much needed and appreciated. We are looking for volunteers to help with the newsletter, articles, and more. Our newsletter is also now … Read more
What is the Historic Highway 99 Association of California? We started this Association in November 2020 to give Historic US Highway 99 in California a greater voice. So much has been lost over the years and we wanted to help preserve what we could. We have goals to get the roadway marked with Historic Route … Read more
The Ridge Route Alternateby Michael F Ballard Surveying of the new “Ridge Route Alternate”, as it was to be called, began in 1928. The new alignment of the highway would diverge from the existing Ridge Route at Castaic and head north through the mountains via Violin Summit, Whitaker Summit, Piru Gorge, and Peace Valley … Read more
Memories of US Route 99Red Bluff’s Chinatownby Jessica Casas After gold was discovered in Coloma in 1848, thousands of people including Chinese arrived in California to seek work in the mining industry. Red Bluff was the furthest point north and the last ferry stop on the steamboat. The ferry stop would eventually create Pine Street … Read more
A Brief History of Grapevine Canyonin Kern County and US Highway 99 – Part 1byMichael F Ballard 1914 – 1933 Grapevine Canyon, or Canada De Las Uvas, was named for the wild grapes that grow on its slopes by Spaniards in the 1700′s. The town of Grapevine has been a major stop along this highway … Read more