Throwback Thursday - October 19, 2017

This week's edition of Throwback Thursday takes us back to April 2005 to the town of North Canaan, Connecticut. Here, we come across a typical US 7 route shield, but also a sign for the Ethan Allen Highway. If you recall from your history books, Ethan Allen is a key historical figure from the early days of Vermont. US 7, of course, runs across the western parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

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Petroleum Club Road (former California State Route 33 and US Route 399 past the Lakeview Gusher)

Petroleum Club Road is an approximately 5.3-mile rural highway located in the Sunset Oil Field of western Kern County. This corridor was constructed as a frontage road of the Sunset Railroad and would be the site of the Lakeview Gusher in 1910. Petroleum Club Road was the original alignment of California State Route 33 and US Route 399 between 1934-1938. In 1938 the West Side Highway was constructed west of Lakeview Gusher and still serves as the current alignment of California State Route 33. Part 1; the history of Petroleum Club Road Petroleum Club Road is the original highway which linked the oil communities of Maricopa and Taft. Both cities were developed around the early boom of the Sunset Oil Field. The early Sunset Oil Field can be seen centered along Cienega Canyon Road southwest of Buena Vista Lake in Township 11 North, Range 23 West on the 1898 Kern County Surveyors map . In 1901 Post Office Service would be established at the Su...

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926. Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California. The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant. However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes. The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield. In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range. ...

Klipstein Canyon Road (Kern County)

Klipstein Canyon Road is an approximately 6.2-mile rural highway located in the San Emigdio Mountains of Kern County. This highway begins at Hudson Ranch Road and travels northward through Cienega Canyon and Devils Gulch to California State Routes 166 and 33 near Maricopa. Klipstein Canyon Road is maintained as Kern County Mountain Road 277. What is now Klipstein Canyon Road was part of the original stage corridor in Cienega Canyon between Cuyama Valley and Kern Lake. Following construction of the Grocer Grade in Sunset Canyon the Cienega Canyon corridor would mostly become associated with an oil boom at Pattiway. During the 1950s the northern part of the highway was realigned near Klipstein Ranch to better align with Maricopa. The highway name was changed to Klipstein Canyon Road despite Cienega Canyon never having been actually renamed. Part 1; the history of Klipstein Canyon Road What is now Klipstein Canyon Road was part of the original stag...

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