Route 66 Wednesdays; Pasadena to Cajon Pass

This week I look back at the old section of US Route 66 from the city of Pasadena east to Cajon Pass.

Essentially the historic routing of US 66 from Pasadena in Los Angeles County east through to Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County was the following:

Pasadena

- East on Colorado Boulevard.

Arcadia

- East on Colorado Boulevard, Colorado Place, and Huntington Drive.

Monrovia

- East on Huntington Drive

Duarte

- East on Huntington Drive

Azusa

- East on Foothill Boulevard

Glendora

- East on Foothill Boulevard

San Dimas

- East on Foothill Boulevard

La Verne

- East on Foothill Boulevard

Claremont

- East on Foothill Boulevard to the San Bernardino County Line

Upland

- East on Foothill Boulevard

Rancho Cucamonga

- East on Foothill Boulevard

Fontana

- East on Foothill Boulevard

Rialto

- East on Foothill Boulevard

San Bernardino

- East on 5th Street

- North on Mount Vernon Avenue

- Northwest on Cajon Boulevard

I believe there was some earlier minor alignment changes on US 66 from Pasadena eastward but essentially everything described above can be seen on the following maps:

1935 California Division of Highways Map of the City of Los Angeles

1935 California Divisions of Highways Map of San Bernardino County

1938 State Highway Map

Essentially everything with US 66 was pretty much the same from Pasadena to Cajon Pass until the route was kicked out of California in 1972. The truncation history of US 66 can be seen on USends.com here:

US Route 66 endpoints

Much of US 66 between Pasadena and Cajon Pass became CA 66 after 1972. CA 66 can be seen on the 1975 State Highway Map running between what is now modern CA 210 and I-215:

1975 State Highway Map

CAhighways.org has a detailed history on CA 66:

CAhighways.org on CA 66

Today CA 66 is barely signed if at all, that wasn't the case back in 2012 when I found this shield at the corner of H Street and 5th Street in San Bernardino.

The Google Street Vehicle Image shows that this shield disappeared some time between 2012 and 2015.

Google Street Vehicle H Street/5th Street

At the corner of 14th Street and E Street in San Bernardino is the Historic McDonald's Museum. I'm to understand the museum is on the site of the original McDonald's but it is much more of a Route 66 museum. I want to say it was only $2-$3 dollars to enter the museum and it was worth the price with the classic shields on display.

There isn't much on the surface routes between Pasadena and San Bernardino that really dates back to the classic highway era. When I worked in the Inland Empire I often had to go to LAX to pick people up from the airport. Usually the traffic was so bad that I had to bail off of I-10 or I-210 onto the surface roads. Surprisingly old Route 66 was actually a very decent alternative during a busy rush hour, I want to say that I usually jumped on Foothill Boulevard just east of CA 57 in most instances. I'd like to re-photograph the area as I didn't think most of my pictures didn't really hold up over time.

As for Cajon Pass, it is really worth checking out. In 2012 on a small segment of Cajon Boulevard was open west of I-15 between exit 129 and exit 123. The expressway alignment was butchered by barriers and cut-off completely south of Kenwood Avenue.

I want to say that Cajon Boulevard was reopened as a through route to exit 129 from downtown San Bernardino last year. I haven't been back to check out the freshly repaired roadway, but it does appear to be a partially restored road with a new segment traversing under I-15.

I used to also have pictures of the Summit Inn at the top of Cajon Pass before it burned down last year.

Summit Inn Burns

The Vague Original Southern Terminus of US Route 91 in the Californian Mojave Desert

One of the more intriguing mysteries of the early US Route System in California is where the original south terminus of US Route 91 was intended to be located in the Mojave Desert. This blog is a little different than my usual behind the wheel fare and explores why US Route 91 ultimately ended at US Route 66 in Daggett instead of Bannock. What ultimately became the US Route System was first discussed during the American Association of State Highway Officials ("AASHO") during their annual 1924 meeting. Ultimately the AASHO recommended to the Department of Agriculture to work with the States to develop a system of Interstate Highways to replace the many Auto Trails in use. The Joint Board on Interstate Highways was ultimately commissioned by the Department of Agriculture and it's branch agency the Bureau of Public Roads in March of 1925. The Joint Board on Interstate Highways first met in April of 1925 and decided on the new interstate road network would be known a

Where the hell is Hill Valley? (US Route 8 south/US Route 395 east)

Recently I made a visit to Universal Studios near Los Angeles. While on the back lot tour I came across a piece of infamous movie-borne fictional highway infamy; the location of town square of Hill Valley, California on US Route 8/US Route 395. The above photo is part of the intro scene to the first Back-to-the-Future movie which was set in 1985. To anyone who follows roadways the signage error of US 8 meeting US 395 in California is an immediately notable error. For one; US 8 doesn't even exist anywhere near California with present alignment being signed as an east/west highway between Norway, Michigan and Forest Lake, Minnesota. To make matters worse US 8 is signed as a southbound route and US 395 (a north/south highway) is signed as an eastbound route. At minimum the cut-out US 8 and US 395 shields somewhat resemble what Caltrans used in the 1980s. Assuming Hill Valley is located on what would have been US 395 by 1985 what locales would be a viable real world analog?

Legend of the Ridge Route; a history of crossing the mountains between the Los Angeles Basin and San Joaquin Valley from wagon trails to Interstates

Over the past two decades I've crossed the Interstate 5 corridor from Los Angeles north over the Sierra Pelona Mountains and Tehachapi Range to San Joaquin Valley what seems to be an immeasurable number of times. While Interstate 5 from Castaic Junction to Grapevine via Tejon Pass today is known to most as "The Grapevine" it occupies a corridor which has been traversed by numerous historic highways. The most notable of these highways is known as the "Ridge Route." This article is dedicated to the Ridge Route and the various highways that preceded it. The Ridge Route is a 44 mile section of highway which was completed in 1915. The Ridge Route originally stretched from Castaic Junction north over Liebre Summit and Tejon Pass to the tiny community of Grapevine. In spite of a roadway that once utilized nearly 700 curves the Ridge Route is generally considered far ahead of it's time and one of the first modern highways constructed for automotive use.

Gribblenation

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