Jump to content
American Road Magazine
Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

Boy Named Sioux

Full Members
  • Posts

    23
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Boy Named Sioux

  1. First, thanks for the comeback!!

     

    Your observation sparked me to go back in my "archives" to February, 2007 and compare the Gillespie bridge (top) on US 80 in Arizona near Gila Bend with the Hillman (bottom)(February, 2010, at Ellaville, Florida). They are definitely similar, and it may be that on technical inspection, would be of the same engineering design. They do differ in detail, as would be expected.

     

    I have put my photos of each up for comparison. Suey may note the "unique" pedestrian railings on the Suwannee River example.

     

    ARGil.jpg

     

     

    ARSuw.jpg

     

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    The reason I love the bridges is that they are obvious relics of the history of the road. We have many interesting draw bridges in the delta region of California where I live, and I find the history of them as well as the mechanics of them interesting since I was a history major and am now a crane inspector and mechanic. The steel bridge with the concrete (guardrails on the approach)could be one of many in my area and the consistency of style throughout the country is interesting. I'm getting itchy to get out of the house and take some photos now!

    Those concrete approaches are typical of the 20's and 30's. As we bomb along I quiz my girlfriend on the bridges and she's starting to learn the styles and eras, although she's not sure why she cares except to make me happy. She's a keeper!

  2. I love Bridges! I have been paying close attention to the styles of the railings and trying to guess the era by the architecture. I have seen some excellent examples around my area and will take pictures. The first five photos of this thread are great examples of the 'mission' style of railing that went from the 20's to 50's but the most I've seen are 30's and 40's. It will be fun to resurrect this thread.

    ~ Suey.

  3. I love to pull up old threads!

     

    I read in another old thread where KTSOTR said, "I don’t recall ever having been on that road! That is saying something for a transplanted Californian who drove every road he could find for 25+ years."

     

    Well Dave, I recently drove on a road simply known as "The Old Hwy" that went from Cathey's Valley to Mariposa Ca. While the first few miles are picturesque and smooth, the last ten were so rough I wasn't sure if it was full of holes or covered with mole hills. Needless to say by the time I got to Mariposa every bolt on the truck had rattled loose, including all of my dental fillings!

  4. Mike,

     

    Another “Road Mystery” solved! Thanks, Mike. I hope Suey spots the solution!

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    I did spot the solution so thanks to both of you for your help. I suspected it had something to do with the Angeles Tunnel but it seemed to be a ways south from where the AT runs from the maps I've seen. I even went to Vista Del Lago Visitor Center to try to gleam some insight. The Visitor Center was interesting on its own anyway and worth the stop.

     

    Another 'State Secret' exposed! :)

     

    Suey

  5. Suey,

     

    Wow, talk about your coincidences! Now I will have to pull out grandfather’s memoirs and read again what he said about Lockwood Valley. If it is at all interesting, I’ll share it.

     

    After the Civil War, great grandfather was a mid west preacher but suffered a throat hemorrhage and moved west to recover. They settled in LA and my grandfather was raised there. The Lockwood adventure was short lived as Great Grandmother was not a homesteader! But I had a female cousin who owned a tavern in the general area until maybe 10 years ago.

     

    I would definitely appreciate a modern photo of the cut.

     

    Thanks for the great reply!!

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    Dave,

     

    The Cut has taken a beating in the last 15 years or so. Landslides on the north side have really filled it in. I have read that it was 90 ft. deep back in the day but now 25 ft. is the max. The cool part was when I was leaving a man was taking his two young girls up to see it and I was amazed that in the tiny slice of time that I was there others were coming to see this old passage. Now it is hard to tell that a road even went through there except for some smaller cuts leading up to it on the west side. While I was there a thunderstorm was rolling in so I beat feet out there.

     

    GrandmaFuneral140.jpg

    Looking west from the top of the cut.

     

    GrandmaFuneral139.jpg

    Looking up the grade into the cut from the west to the east.

     

     

  6. Not skeptical, just to lazy to figure it out myself. I think its a great way to explain a subject and has many advantages over a long typed-out sentence. I could easily imagine you in the front of a lecture hall with your overhead projector pointing out the landmarks on the map and explaining their significance. :lol:

     

    Sioux - any idea what times the trains run through the Altamont? I would like to get out there one afternoon and catch a locomotive going over the trestle but can't really spare an entire afternoon to sit and wait.

     

    In regards to railroads and highways, and I apologize if I have said this before, but I believe they are closely tied together at least as far as the western half of the country is concerned. In the time between the driving of the golden spike and the coming of the automobile the railroad was the best way to get from point A to point B. The railroads were built to the power restrictions of the locomotives of the day and would follow the path of least resistance across the landscape. As manpower was replaced with machine power obstacles were carved away and the railroad lines were straightened to allow for higher speeds and in the west the abandoned railbeds became ready made roadways for that new fangled contraption called the automobile. PPOO and the Victory in Nevada are good examples of where some of the former CPRR railbeds became roads.

     

    It also made sense that the new roads would follow the rail lines between towns and the coming of the automobile. Many towns in the west were established to support the railroad and the automobile may have kept some dying towns alive long after they were needed by the railroad. Many of these towns would survive up until the coming of the Interstate which then diverted traffic away from them and in time killing off the hotels, restaurants and other amenities needed by the auto traveler. (see: Wells, Nevada)

     

    One other connection between railroads and roads in the West. It was a Senator from Illinois that was a huge proponent of a railroad that connected the eastern half of the country with the west. He new then that effecient travel from one coast to another was important for a strong country. Unfortunately as President his attention was diverted by a little internal squabble and he didn't live to see his idea come to fruition. However, 50 years later the first transcontinental highway was named in his honor.

     

    Roadhound

    Roadhound,

     

    My friend and I had a good laugh when we read this post because that very afternoon we were talking about taking the train to work just to ride over the pass to see what we couldn't see from the roads. When I look out the back of our shop I'm looking at the Vasco station! The trains run west in the morning and east in the afternoon. Google Altamont Commuter Express and its easy enough to see the schedule. I just have to get up early enough to be dropped off at the station in Tracy and I think it would be a kick.

     

    - Suey

  7. Jennifer, et all

     

    Like you, I have been a Google Earth fan for years, and I enjoyed the story you and Pat told about getting in multiple shots…..fast thinking. But as much as I loved it, it wasn’t very useful in getting a “feel” for the roads I haven’t traveled.

     

    Sure, I could tell if there was water, desert, lots of buildings, vegetation, or the like, but what was it like if I didn’t have wings. Sure, I had buzzed around cities at street level (neat!), but I avoid cities when I can. What knocked me over last night was to discover I could drive some rural two lane road in Kansas or North Carolina or Mississippi at street level.

     

    As you know, I like the roads less traveled, and now I can scout out a trip in ways I never could before. Let me give a small example. Last night I “drove” from south of Coffeeville, Mississippi, through the town of Coffeeville, and on to Waterville, all on rural roads. And I now know that Coffeeville has a main street worth visiting, because I saw not its roofs, but its stores and buildings, just as if I were walking down the street. The quality was better than if I had taken a video, and I could turn around 360 degrees.

     

    I read about the Google camera set up some time ago, but I never imagined they would drive through the Appalachian back roads, along Kansas dirt roads, or through bergs like Coffeeville…..no insult intended but Coffeeville, Mississippi (I have a friend there) is a certified berg….I love it! I drove a few roads in North Carolina and in Tennessee last night, and I can see that Sheila and I would enjoy the countryside and little towns I saw. They were absolutely lovely, and mostly “unspoiled.” Then I drove down the Keys and looked at some places Denny and Dave visited. Wow!

     

    This All America coverage just blows me away, and that is hard to do for a guy as old and heavy (I prefer “robust”) as I am! I have no idea how Google decided to photo map some of the places they did. Take a look at some of the “blue roads” in Kansas….but I love it.

     

    The more I think about it, Google is making America available “on demand” for all of us. Gees, I love those guys!

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    Dave,

    Do not take my silence for apathy, I have had trouble posting on a friend's laptop with IE. I had to stealthily download Firefox just to post! Yes, the street view has given us tremendous power to explore, but I fear it may pacify some of the curiosity to explore. Or not.

    I took some photos of the tunnel on US 99 and got home and there was a better view on Google! Such is life. Google couldn't get the shots of Beale's Cut that I have so I will put them on the proper thread.

    Glad to be back!

     

    ~ Suey

  8. Dave, you never cease to amaze me. That is the first time I have ever seen a post on a message board done that way. I, however, will stick to the keyboard.

     

    Just to clarify. The 1869 version of the Western Pacific is not the same as the 1983 company that became part of the Union Pacific RR. The original WP was created to complete the transcontinental railroad from Sacramento to San Francisco and was later absorbed by the Central Pacific RR. The CPRR later became part of the Southern Pacific RR, which has since become part of the Union Pacific RR. The Western Pacific RR that was merged into the Union Pacific was founded in 1903.

     

    Abandoned railbed ownership - Western Pacific (original), Central Pacific RR, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific

     

    In-use railbed ownership - WP (founded 1903), Union Pacific

     

    Roadhound

    Yeah! What he said! ;)

     

    ~ Suey

  9. Thanks for the pics Sioux. I know exactly where that is and will have to check it out on my next journey through.

     

    Roadhound

     

    I'm glad I have something to share. A couple other things I've noticed that a semi local might be interested in. If you look at the 1907 Tesla? map of Livermore at Chico you will see a few things in that area that have changed, and that are the same.

     

    ~ Greenville road south of 580 used to go in a straight line from what is now Southfront to Altamont Pass road. Now it veers to the west quite a bit. You can see on google earth the road running through the pasture there but I can't see it from the ground.

     

    ~ Also, Greenville used to make an eastern turn at Las Positas where the S.P. used to cross the road. It went around that hill and then returned to the present route.

     

    ~ The lake on the old map on Laughlin Rd is still there! I just went by there this week and the lake (some would call it a pond) was as least as big as in the old map.

     

    Whoda thunk it?

     

    ~ Suey

     

  10. OK Suey and Roadhound, I have a QUESTION. It is a wmv file so it should come up in Windows Media Player. (I have come up with a substitute for typing!)

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    First of all, your interrogation methods are diabolical!

     

    I believe the grassy roadbed IS the old Lincoln Highway. The paved two lane road is Altamont Pass Road, also US 50 until 1938. The other right of way you ask about is the abandoned Western Pacific (Transcontinental 1869 I believe) that is now called the Southern Pacific. The rails and ties have been removed in this section so it looks like a gravel road now. The railroad that is behind me, to the NW, is the new Western Pacific, (no relation to the old Western Pacific) that is now owned by the Union Pacific. I hope I cleared that up. :)

     

    P.S. If you follow the S.P. east from there you will see where it goes under I-580 in a tunnel. On the tunnel between the east and westbound lanes it says S.P. CO. 1909 although I know the railway to be much older. If you follow it farther, you will come to where it crosses Patterson Pass Road, which is known as Midway. Which just came up on another thread.

     

    Diabolical!

     

    ~ Suey

  11. Suey,

     

    Sounds great. Looking forward to the photo. And even if it is a rediscovery, it is still yours to claim if you came by it through your own research and travels.

     

    You are a great addition to this forum, and we look forard to your continued participation and insights.

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    Thanks for the kind words Dave. This location I've drove past many times and never noticed it. The other night I was comparing Google Earth and a 1907 Chico topo and saw the curve of the road was not the same anymore. Going out on foot I saw the old roadbed, the power poles and ditches on either side of it. More interesting was the footprints in the grass of some other person checking it out. It was all great fun!

     

    The coordinates of the location are:

    37.72485833 -121.69513888

     

    altamont002.jpg

    Standing on the old roadbed, Altamont Pass Road to the left (U.S. 50 til 1938), Western Pacific trestle with Southern Pacific underpass on the left side of the trestle.

     

    altamont003.jpg

     

    This is looking ESE from the Lincoln roadbed, just above Altamont Pass Road you see the old S.P. which was abandoned in 1984, to the left in the distance is the Western Pacific, and on the hill in the distance are the westbound lanes of I-580 (circa 1969). The eastbound lanes of 580 at that location are the 1938 alignment of U.S. 50.

     

    I love all the old telegraph/telephone poles along Altamont Pass road. They have like 20 old glass insulators on them and all the wire is broken and hanging down.

     

     

     

  12. Dave,

     

    Thank you so much for the response and the search effort. I have walked up to the entrance, it is a concrete tunnel that is screened off with chain link. You could drive a small vehicle in it but it is not a transportation tunnel. I wish I had a photo, maybe next time.

    There is a sign that says State of California Property, which makes me think State Water Project. There are electrical conduits running into it.

    Anyway, it has my curiosity going.

     

    There are a lot of interesting roads in the area. It was the Ridge Route that got me started on this road kick.

     

    Thanks again.

    From all my research I find that this is Mike Ballard country. Mike, Whadayathink?

     

  13. 491865117_jXers-L.jpg

     

    Another day through Big Bend… Texas

     

    With one million acres laid out ahead of us, only a few miles away from “The Oasis”, a Lifetime is not going to be enough to explore it all. And so we keep going back, often without truly a destination in mind, maybe often following Spirit’s own nose pointing. Why not! My favorite however has always been Sotol Look Out and the Rio Grande River, an area where the banks have moved around since the last floods not long ago.

    With it’s tall cliffs, a road that has now been cleared, flowers blooming finally announcing Spring around the corner, we had a fine day, a fine long day with the sunshine hanging out for the extra hours this landscape deserves.

    This morning, today, it will be a different scenery as we are taking off for Odessa for one more medical check up. The news have been good as I have managed to bring down my cholesterol and triglyceride levels under 200. It gives me hope that this coming summer will not be a struggle in the Health department of this Journey.

    More on the Blog…

    Be well, always…

    Ara & Spirit

    www.theoasisofmysoul.com our website and Blog

    You are traveling through the canvas of the gods. Helping you along the way is a Spirit with a nose for adventure. Nothing has ever inspired me like a sunrise in the desert. Keep the information funnel going, we need your courage.

    God Bless You Beemerchef.

     

  14. Suey,

     

    Yah, I forgot, but then was yesterday Saturday or Sunday??!! I like the explanation!

     

    I love "midway" and "8 mile house," 6 mile creek, and 3 mile hill. They bring back a whole different era.

     

    I also see you have a railroad interest. Roads and rails sort of go together, for all sorts of reasons. And you simply can't claim to understand roads or land use development if you don't appreciate the interurbans and streetcar lines. But that's for another day.

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    Through my poking around I found a really cool spot that has the Lincoln Hwy, U.S. 50, S.P. and W.P railroads, and I 580 , in the Altamont Pass all in one shot. Probably been done on this forum but was way cool to me when I found it. On 3-19 I will post a pic.

     

     

  15. Suey,

     

    Wow, talk about your coincidences! Now I will have to pull out grandfather’s memoirs and read again what he said about Lockwood Valley. If it is at all interesting, I’ll share it.

     

    After the Civil War, great grandfather was a mid west preacher but suffered a throat hemorrhage and moved west to recover. They settled in LA and my grandfather was raised there. The Lockwood adventure was short lived as Great Grandmother was not a homesteader! But I had a female cousin who owned a tavern in the general area until maybe 10 years ago.

     

    I would definitely appreciate a modern photo of the cut.

     

    Thanks for the great reply!!

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    Dave,

     

    You are freaking me out! The only tavern I know of on Lockwood Valley Road was the Owl's Barn. I could never go near it in my youth but when I was old enough...

     

    A friend of mine and I went up there to do some black powder shooting and we stopped at the Owl's Barn for a beer. It had a screen door like on a home when you went in. I almost want to say it was a mobile home or trailer sitting on the ground. When we went in it felt like we entered someone's home. There were a few guy just sitting around inside and everyone was friendly enough but it was claustrophobic so we got the hell out! Not a bad experience, cept where we come from outsiders in a bar like that end up getting their asses kicked. Years later a few young cowpokes in Yreka decided I had too many teeth when I was at the Rex Club and I learned about the expensive world of dental implants!

     

    Good times. Loved the Owl's Barn then. Right across the road from a chimney if I remember right.

     

    Suuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeey!

     

  16. It is neat to have the description, and I am hoping that Kevin will get a photo of what it looks like today, long after it was abandoned for auto travel.

     

    Keep the Show on the Road

     

    That was the best description of any type of travel through that area and over the cut that I have ever read. When I saw you write that your grandfather lived in Lockwood Valley I immediately had the image in my mind of a couple of freestanding chimneys I know along Lockwood Valley Road. I've spent a lot of time in that area. Even honeymooned in Lockwood Valley. Funny story there. Thanks for the fascinating reference! I'm going through Newhall maybe next week, maybe I'll snap a shot of the cut, now that it won't be so muddy!

  17. Roadhound,

     

    First, thanks for the coordinates. I just cut and pasted them into Google Earth search and “bingo,” I was there. That really helps those of us who are geographically impaired.

     

    Having grown up in the LA area, I suppose I am permitted to say, “Leave your hands off my water.” The place is like a black hole…no offense intended ;) .

     

    That was a nice piece of old alignment. And the combination of canal, power lines and wind farm was interesting.

     

    I hope an old guy can get to love wind farms that spring up on the skyline. Not long ago I was driving the old 2 lane Oregon Trail Highway in far eastern Oregon where no one goes, and a big flatbed truck passed me with what appeared to be a huge aircraft wing…then I realized it was a single blade for a wind tower.

     

    Mountain Home was not exactly a lovely setting for settlement, was it? And where the dickens is the “Mountain?” What is the development there now? It doesn’t appear to be a village, at least from above.

     

    And a couple of questions about the stories the street names tell. I wonder if Grantline Road ran along an old Spanish land grant boundary? I bet 50 cents it did. And what in the heck is Midway Road midway between?

     

    On a different subject, your photos are always as crisp as if I were there, whereas my photos are just a touch short off sharp. I have resisted buying a SLR again because I don’t want to go back to the pack mule I was when I used my old Nikon F. I used to lug around a twin lens reflex for 2.25 X 2.25 B&W, the Nikon for slides, at least three fixed length lenses, not to mention filters, and a tripod.

     

    Will one of the Canon or Nikon dSLR’s with the “kit” zooms give me anything approaching the crispness of your shots? I know I am not going to invest in really good glass, so the issue is really whether a dSLR with “kit” zoom is worth the trouble.

     

    Keep the Show on the Road

     

    Dave

     

    Dave,

     

    I love dredging up old topics around here. I have done a little research on the Southern Pacific over the Altamont. (Originally the Western Pacific, the final leg of the 1869 transcontinental railroad to be built.) Midway was a watering stop where Patterson Pass road crosses the rail line. In every mention of Midway the author asks what it was midway to. My guess is that it was midway from the waterstop of Ellis three miles east of Tracy, to the top of the Altamont grade. Just a quess. Bet you forgot you even asked the question! :P

  18. Suey,

     

    Where else in the world do you get pros like Roadhound and DennyG answering questions? And eager to do it. I was going to pull out some turn by turns from the ‘ole archives, just for the heck of it, but between those two (and their excellent sources), you have it all.

     

    BTW, I know I have 1914 strip maps of every main route in California, and earlier as well....back as far as 1906 if my memory serves. Of course the Chico State topos are great where they cover what you are looking for.... but sometimes I can help....so don't hesitate to ask if you have something specific. I guess I should add that most of the time the strip maps are not the best for finding the route through a small (in those days) town.

     

    I feel bad that I couldn’t find an answer to the tunnel thing, but to be fair, it was a tough question. I hope to regain my reputation in the future!

     

    Now I want to know what you know. You are interested in history and the two lane roads of yesterday. That is a golden combination which I and many others here share.

     

    We are blessed when we drive an old road that we appreciate what has unfolded there. I tell my wife it is a little like watching a movie in my mind’s eye…..I can almost see the events and the people. That is an advantage of history (especially the local variety) my history teachers failed to mention.

     

    Have you done any old roads lately?

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    I am so glad I found others like me out there. I was once married to a gal who did crossword puzzles on road trips, or read magazines, or sleep. She did everything but show interest in what was going by outside. (Except maybe Taco Bells) Did I mention I was once married? ;)

     

    I understand about what you "see" on the old roads, I do the same. I used to teach history and my students would ask me what my favorite kind of history was. Easy question for me. "The history of where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going."

     

    I have done a little bit of old roads.

     

    Around Christmas I followed all the old routes from Mulholland Pass to the Grapevine in So Cal. This included San Fernando Road, Sepulveda blvd., The Old Road, the Ridge Route, Lebec Rd. and the Golden State Fwy. Basically old U.S. 99. I took a little side trip up the Sierra Hwy. to Beale's Cut (old Newhall Pass). All very interesting. The best was Beale's Cut and the Ridge Route south of Sandberg.

     

    In January I did some of old 99 in Northern Ca. near Shasta, Weed, Dunsmuir.

     

    Another favorite is Route 66 from Amboy to Barstow.

     

    I'm getting ready for a trip from Tracy to Kansas City to Houston and back to Tracy in May. I plan on taking US 50 most of the way to KC, I haven't planned the rest. I generally don't 'plan' trips. They just sort of happen. As long as I have money, gas, and time there's no telling where I'll end up. I just know the barbecue places I want to hit on the way. B)

     

    Thanks Dave,

     

    I love the Chico Library maps!

     

    ~ Suey

  19. Big welcome, Sioux. Anybody that can immediately put both KtSotR & roadhound to work shows a lot of promise. :lol:

     

    Because I'm currently playing with the LH Driving Maps CD and have some books at my side, I can add a couple of minor details. According to the CD and Gregory Franzwa's book, the LH rejoined 11th Street in Banta by using Banta Rd off of Brichetto Rd. Brian's not the least bit wrong but understandably left out that detail and I, for one, would have likely followed Brichetto to its end. There's a small discrepancy in Banta with the CD using 6th Street to get between G & F and Butko & Franzwa using 7th and, as all Lincoln Highway folks know, "In Greg We Trust". The CD I have is the 2008 version so this may have been "corrected" in 2009. (There's got to be a good story about a town with just a pair of through streets in each direction that calls those streets F & G and 6th & 7th:-) All seem to agree that Manthey Road was the LH between Mossdale and Banta. Apparently much of it is still drivable although it dead-ends where it got clobbered by the I-5/I-205 interchange.

    Thanks for the info Denny. I also noticed on early maps that Brichetto Road doesn't go west of Banta Rd. I've been on those roads many times, not knowing the history, but new they were old and in poor condition. I don't know the story of the strange street naming in Banta but I have one of my own. A friend used to live in a little house behind the Banta Inn, whose owner owned both properties. The inn was closed on Sundays and in the summer we used to put our beer in the ice machine and play horseshoes all day out back of the inn. Ahh, good times....

     

  20. Thanks for filling in that gap Denny.

     

    As it turned out I drove through Banta earlier today on my way home from a training class and now that the route west out of Banta is resolved, I am now wondering about the route between Mossdale and Banta.

     

    Comparing the 1915 topo map of the area to Google Earth it would appear that the original route followed Manthey Road, is buried underneath I-5 and then W 11th St before turning right on what is now Grant Line Road towards Banta. On the topo it is a straight line from the crossing until it reaches Grant Line.

    Once someone sparks your interest it is hard to resist if you're in the area, isn't it?

    I plan on taking the Harley over to the Mossdale trestle and checking out the concrete roadway. I've been over there before but I wasn't as in tune to spotting old roads as I am now. Thanks for the help, and I'm going to pull up some of your old posts on the Altamont and such. I've been down Altamont Pass road quite a bit lately checking out clues of the past and the old Southern Pacific railroad bed that runs through there. I've been going over the Altamont (580) almost daily for eight years and never noticed the old SP tunnel that is just east of the Western Pacific bridge on the eastbound lanes. I believe this is the old 1938 alignment of U.S. 50.

    If you're ever on Patterson Pass road check out the old stone walls if you haven't ever seen them. (37.69805555, -121.58916666)

     

    Thanks again, Suey

  21. Suey,

     

    That is an interesting section of old US99! A little web searching turned up good stuff, but no identification of the tunnel or its purpose.

     

    I note that one of the birdseyes on Virtual Earth (that is an amazing feature when it is available for an area) shows a truck backed up to the tunnel. The truck appears to be as big or bigger than the tunnel, which suggests the tunnel was not designed to carry vehicles.

     

    The truck seems to be enclosed, as vs. a dump truck, which doesn’t bode well for my speculating on a mining purpose! So I remain stumped.

     

    Whatever the purpose of the tunnel, the section of the road you identify is interesting in and of itself. The site below, which you no doubt have seen (but others visiting here may not have), does a nice job describing the road.

     

    http://www.gbcnet.com/ushighways/US99/US99f_side.html

     

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

    Dave,

     

    Thank you so much for the response and the search effort. I have walked up to the entrance, it is a concrete tunnel that is screened off with chain link. You could drive a small vehicle in it but it is not a transportation tunnel. I wish I had a photo, maybe next time.

    There is a sign that says State of California Property, which makes me think State Water Project. There are electrical conduits running into it.

    Anyway, it has my curiosity going.

     

    There are a lot of interesting roads in the area. It was the Ridge Route that got me started on this road kick.

     

    Thanks again.

     

  22. I am new to this forum and hopefully someone here can answer a question that has been eluding me for some time. A few miles north of Templin Hwy on old 99 there is a turn off on the east side of the highway and you can see a tunnel entrance just down the dirt road across the very large concrete slab. This could be something to do with I-5 or the Angeles Tunnel which is part of the state water project. Does anyone have any idea what this is? I can not find anything anywhere about it. (34.61344444, -118.7222375)

     

    Thanks. Suey.

  23. I knew you couldn't resist a good on-line research project Keep.

     

    The topo does one thing for me is to help clarify the road alignment north of the railroad trestle. I wasn't sure if the roadway came through what is now an orchard or followed the trestle like what is shown on the topo. I walked on the north side of the trestle and there is a dirt path following the base but I did not see any evidence of a concrete roadway.

     

    There is also an underpass about where the Mossdale School would have been. The 1913 topo shows a road going underneath the railroad tracks which is about where Manthey Rd. passes underneath today. (just off the top edge of the map that I posted).

     

    Current Manthey Road underpass, formerly the roadbed for US 48 and US 50. The Manthey School site would have been on the other side of the underpass to the right.

     

    SC109707.jpg

     

     

    As for the location of the bridge it is difficult to tell but it does look like the angle is the same as the present Manthey Rd. bridge. I can't really tell how tall the levee along the river is but I suspect it may not have been as high as it is today and if the bridge was in the same exact position it would have been a 25-30 foot climb to the bridge from the remaining concrete section. I don't think I see that represented on the topo.

     

    My theory is that the bridge was built very close to the same position but much higher above the San Joaquin River than its predecessor. It would be interesting to find out when the levee was built and\or raised to it's present level. That area floods on an average of about every 8 years and would have been even more prone to flooding back then.

     

    Roadhound

    Roadhound, a newby here but an old history buff. I know I'm pulling up an old post but I know you're still around. I drive past Mossdale often and I live in Tracy. Do you happen to know the route of the Lincoln Highway from Mossdale through Tracy to the Altamont? From the Chico state topos that Keep turned us on to I'm guessing it was Grant Line road to Lincoln blvd, then 11th St. to Byron Hwy to Grant line or did it just take grant line all the way? Would greatly appreciate any input.

×
×
  • Create New...