Historic Highway 99 Association of California
Dedicated to the preservation of California's Main Street – former US Highway 99
Good news from Calimesa! Our campaign to save the date stamps from the 1925 paving on Roberts Road is a success! The stamps will be removed from the existing paving in the very near future and held by the City of Calimesa to be displayed at their new library. We will post additional information on any events or ceremonies as we get closer.
We wish to thank all who helped us in this preservation effort!
On Thursday, April 14, 2022, I will be giving a presentation on the history of US 99 through the San Gorgonio Pass to the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society. Their meeting will be held at the Cherry Valley Grange at 10478 Beaumont Ave, Beaumont, CA (corner of Cherry Valley Blvd and Beaumont Ave). Presentation starts at 7 pm and is open to all. Come join us!
I-5 is commonly referred to as “The Grapevine” by locals and traffic reporters. Most assume the name derives from the twisty nature of the original roadway – the Ridge Route. That road was indeed very twisty, much like a grapevine. However, that is still not the reason. The name Grapevine actually comes from Grapevine Canyon, where old US 99 and I-5 come down from the mountains and into the San Joaquin Valley. The canyon is called such as wild grapes grow along the canyon walls. It was formerly known as Canada De Las Uvas which is Spanish for Canyon of the Grapes. The name Tejon Pass is also a “new” addition to the area. The current Tejon Pass was known as Grapevine Pass or Badger Pass until the 1850’s. Old Tejon Pass, much farther to the east, was a very treacherous route. That pass was eventually abandoned in favor of the current Tejon Pass. The name was just shifted to the new route.
After the 1933 bypass of the original road to as late as the 1970’s, the roadway over the mountains was still referred to as “The Ridge Route”. It wasn’t until sometime in the 1980’s that the name “The Grapevine” was extended to the entire roadway. Why this was done is still unclear. Even Caltrans called it the “Ridge Route” when I-5 was completed. So, if you want to call it proper – call it Tejon Pass, when being specific to the actual pass, and the Ridge Route when referring to I-5 from Castaic to Grapevine. While you’re passing through Grapevine Canyon, be sure to spot the wild grapevines that still grow in the canyon. Names may change, but the name Ridge Route should live on. It applies to I-5 better than “The Grapevine” ever will.
What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
The Fossil Discovery Museum near Chowchilla, California needs your help. They are in the process of restoring the former Mammoth Orange that was cited along Highway 99 at Fairmead until freeway construction closed off its access in 2007. The last operating Giant, or Mammoth Orange stand along old 99 was rescued and will be reopened nearby. The museum is raising funds for this effort. They can use your support! Lets help bring back a piece of Highway 99 history. Make sure to tell them the Highway 99 Association sent you!
Their website:
https://www.maderamammoths.org/projects.html
Link to their fundraiser:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/mammothorange
Our monthly meetings and presentations have been a success and will continue to grow. In the future, we will have member-only presentations, so make sure you sign up for a membership today! Your tax-deductible donations help us continue to keep Highway 99 alive.
On July 6, 2021 at 6 pm, we will have a presentation on the history of US 99 through the San Gorgonio Pass by Michael Ballard. The presentation will include maps, photos, and detailed information about the roadway from Calimesa to Edom, near Thousand Palms.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqd-moqj4vHdJw6RL5SEOPiOfdgV2J3M4G
In August, we will have our first guest speaker. So, join Historian Evan Decker; President of Mentryville, California Inc for a presentation and Q & A on the History of Mentryville, California on August 3rd at 6pm; Hosted by the Historic Highway 99 Association. Mentryville is a historic ghost town known as the site of the “birthplace” of the Oil Industry in California in 1876 with the drilling of California Star Oil No. 4. Q & A to follow.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkd-2hqDoqEty9IHOFgyUWO0ns2_ZKrq_7
We now have a YouTube channel, which we plan to use to post videos of any events, points of interest along 99, meetings, presentations, and much more. Come check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAvGZpwJjMnoBplxbkxMmaw
We started a new calendar for Highway 99 Association events and any other Highway 99 related events. We are looking to fill it in! If you’d like to add your event or have one in mind to add, let us know!
Our membership now extends across all three states US 99 traversed and British Columbia. It seems the word is slowly getting out there. We want to do more, however, and need your support. If you’re not a member already, sign up! Your membership is tax-deductible and your membership fees will go to helping us bring Historic Highway 99 into the spotlight it deserves.
We also need your help. Soon, we will develop brochures and flyers for the Association for distribution. We will need your help in doing this as well as helping represent the Association throughout California. We’re also looking for ideas for fundraisers and outreach programs. If you’d like to help, contact us! We want to see this Association succeed and it cannot without help from all over.
We do wish to thank all those that have donated so far and signed up for memberships. Your contributions, regardless of size, have been very helpful to our cause.
Interested in helping design a new sign for 99?
We are holding a design contest for a new terminus mileage sign for US 99. US 6 has one in Bishop. US 50 has one in Sacramento. I-40 has one in Barstow. US 99 does not and we intend to change that. Two signs will be placed, one in Calexico, California and the other in Blaine, Washington to commemorate the historic termini of US 99. What we are looking for is a sign that stands out among the others and gives the mileage to each end. For reference, the historic mileage of US 99 was 1499 miles in 1958 per AAA. The sign should contain a US 99 shield, possibly three for each of the states it passed through. We aren’t looking for a large sign as there may be space constraints but certainly a sign 24″ x 36″ or smaller, horizontal or vertical, would be acceptable. At the present time, we are not certain as to when the signs will be posted. All designs must be submitted by August 15, 2021.
The winner will be announced in our September newsletter.
Newhall Pass has been a congestion point for centuries. It is one of the three passes that lead to central California from the Los Angeles area. Until cuts were made in the summit, beginning in 1854 and culminating in Beale’s Cut in 1863, the pass was nearly insurmountable by wagons. In 1910, the cut was bypassed by a narrow tunnel, which itself was replaced by a much larger cut in 1939. US 99 itself bypassed the old pass in 1930, following a new route through Weldon and Gavin Canyons along the “Newhall Alternate”. Tunnel Station, where Sierra Highway and US 99 met, was again a point of congestion. In 1953, construction on a new freeway, complete with direct connector ramps, began in the pass. It would be the first section of freeway for US 99 in the area. In 1955, it was completed removing the congestion point at Tunnel Station with a direct ramp from WB US 6 to SB US 99.
Today, the original three-level interchange remains but with only two levels still in use. The lower ramp is now partially filled in, having been replaced with the newer I-5 / State 14 interchange in 1975. Newhall Pass today remains a very busy and vital corridor for Southern California.
Coming up on July 6, 2021 at 6 pm, I will be giving a Zoom presentation on the history of US 99 through the San Gorgonio Pass from Edom to Calimesa. Photos, maps, and detailed information on how to follow the highway will be covered. Come join us and learn! There is a lot to cover, more than you might think. Registration is required to attend.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqd-moqj4vHdJw6RL5SEOPiOfdgV2J3M4G
A section of US 99 in Calimesa, Riverside County, with concrete dating to 1925, is in danger of being destroyed and forgotten due to developments on the adjacent land. Known as Roberts Road, running for nearly 3/4 mile between Cherry Valley Blvd and Singleton Road, has the last intact and exposed concrete between Yucaipa and Whitewater. This was US 99 from 1926-1937.
As the roadway is to be realigned to the south, we propose making this into a recreational path or at least preserving the contractors date stamps in the paving. This is a treasure that needs to live on.
Contact the City of Calimesa, tell them the Historic Highway 99 Association of California sent you and that you don’t want this section destroyed! Show your support for preserving what is left of US 99 in that area.
City of Calimesa Contacts:
Main Website – http://www.cityofcalimesa.net/
909-795-9801 – Main number
City Manager – Bonnie Johnson – bjohnson@cityofcalimesa.net
909-795-9801 x239
Planning Commission – Agency in charge of planning
Area is under the “Summerland Ranch Specific Plan”