Throwback Thursday; Montezuma Castle National Monument

Back in 2012 I visited Montezuma Castle National Monument located just of Interstate 17 exit 289 near Camp Verde in Yavapai County, Arizona.

Montezuma Castle is a preserved Sinauga cliff dwelling on a limestone cliff above Beaver Creek which was occupied between 1100 AD to 1425 AD. Montezuma Castle was rediscovered by European Explorers that it had some sort of connection to Aztec Emperor Montezuma. Montezuma Castle is located 90 feet above the terrain below the cliff-face and has approximately 4,000 square feet over five floors. Montezuma Castle was set aside as a National Monument in 1906.

Approximately 11 miles northeast of Montezuma Castle is a detached area of Montezuma Castle National Monument located on a sink hole known as Montezuma Well. Montezuma Well is located above a fresh water spring which chewed through the surrounding limestone to create a 386 foot in diameter sink hole. Being one of the few locations in Arizona with easy access to fresh water Montezuma Well was obviously an attractive location for settlement which apparently date as early as the 8th century. Montezuma Well is also surrounded by cliff dwellings much like the nearby Montezuma Castle.

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Old Stage Road; the "real" El Camino Real and predecessor route to US Route 101 on the San Juan Grade

This past month I stopped in San Juan Bautista to hike the Juan Bautista De Anza Trail on the closed Old Stage Road. Old Stage Road as part of the Spanish El Camino Real to cross the Gabilan Range between San Juan Bautista and Salinas Valley.

Part 1; the history of El Camino Real and Old Stage Road

The Gabilan Range between what is now San Juan Bautista and Salinas Valley was first explored during the second Juan Bautista De Anza Expedition of Las Californias. While the De Anza expedition likely crossed very close to the present alignment of Old Stage Route their exact path isn't clear. Juan Bautista De Anza noted the following in his journal while passing near present day San Juan Bautista on March 24, 1776:

"In the valley we saw many antelopes and white grey geese. In the same valley we found an arroyo...and then came to a village in which I counted about twenty tule huts. But the only two people we saw were two Indians who came out to the road and presented us with thr…

Old US Route 101 in Salinas

This past June I visited much of what was the original alignment of US Route 101 within the City of Salinas.

Part 1; the history of US Route 101 in Salinas

Salinas is presently the largest City in Monterey County and is the County Seat. Salinas lies within Salinas Valley and is located east of the namesake river. Originally El Camino Real originally was routed through Salinas Valley on a course towards the Monterey Peninsula. The route of El Camino Real was intended to solidify a path of travel between the Catholic Missions of Las Californias. In 1797 Mission San Juan Bautista was founded which led to a need for a spur of El Camino Real to be built from Salinas Valley over the Gabilan Range. This spur of El Camino Real would become what is now Old Stage Road. The split in the paths of El Camino Real roughly was located where the City of Salinas now sits.

In 1804 Alta California was formed out of the larger Las Californias but the junction of El Camino Real in Salinas Valley …

Railroad Square Historic District, US Route 101, California State Route 12; Santa Rosa, California

This past November I visited the Railroad Square Historic District in Santa Rosa of Sonoma County, California. Railroad Square is a historic corridor in downtown Santa Rosa which was created due to it being isolated due to the realignment of US Route 101.

Part 1; the history of Railroad Square and the highways of Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa is the County Seat and largest City in Sonoma County. Santa Rosa was settled in 1833 in Alta California and was named after Saint Rose of Lima. When California became an American State, Sonoma County was one of the original counties. The original County Seat of Sonoma County was in Sonoma but it was soon moved to Santa Rosa by 1854. In 1867 Santa Rosa became an incorporated City as it was one of the few major communities north of San Francisco Bay.

Railroad service arrived to Santa Rosa in 1870 by way of the San Francisco & Northern Pacific Railroad ("SF&NP"). The SF&NP began construction from Petaluma northward in 1869. By 1…

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