Skip to main content

Former US Route 101 in Buellton

Buellton is a small City located in central Santa Barbara County along the Santa Ynez River.  Prior to the modern freeway bypass being constructed US Route 101 was aligned through the City of Buellton on Avenue of the Flags.  US Route 101 above can be seen facing northbound towards Pea Soup Andersen's in 1949.  US Route 101 can be seen below aligned on Avenue of the Flags on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Santa Barbara



Part 1; the history of US Route 101 through Buellton

Buellton lies on land which was once part of Rancho San Carlos de Jonata which was mostly located in Santa Ynez Valley.  During the mid-1860s R.T. Buell and his brother Alonzo Buell purchased a sizeable tract of land within Rancho San Carolos de Jonata.  In 1872 R.T. Buell would purchase the entirety of Rancho San Carlos de Jonata and bought out his brother's stakes.  By 1875 a small community develop around Buell Ranch on the Santa Ynez River.  The town of Buellton was not formally plotted out until 1920 when it was a long established locale on the Coast Highway of Legislative Route Number 2.  

The era of State Highway Maintenance through Santa Ynez Valley would ultimately begin with the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act which was approved by voters in 1910.  One of the highways approved through the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act was a 481.8 mile highway originating at the City Limits of San Francisco which terminated in San Diego.  This highway would ultimately come to be known in time as Legislative Route Number 2 ("LRN 2").  

Unlike the previous Spanish El Camino Real and it's 1906 American Auto Trail successor the alignment of LRN 2 would diverge through Santa Ynez Valley reaching neither Mission La Purshima or Mission Santa Inés.  Numerous suggested alignments of LRN 2 through Santa Ynez Valley can be seen on the May 1913 California Highway Bulletin.  Several of the suggested routes diverge west from Gaviota Pass towards Lompoc and Mission La Purshima.  An easterly suggested route is shown to be aligned past Mission Santa Inés near Solvang.  Ultimately a more central route through Santa Ynez Valley through Buell Ranch onward towards Zaca Canyon was selected as the alignment of LRN 2.  In 1913 the Pacific Highway was plotted as a major Auto Trail which followed LRN 2 through Santa Ynez Valley. 



Early LRN 2/American El Camino Real/Pacific Highway can be seen traversing Santa Ynez Valley via Buell Ranch on the 1917 California State Automobile Association Map.

The original Santa Ynez River Bridge on LRN 2 near Buell Ranch can be seen  in this photo hosted on bridgehunter.com.

The 1920 Rand McNally Highway Map of California shows El Camino Real and the Pacific Highway following LRN 2 through Santa Ynez Valley through Buellton. 


The 1924 Rand McNally Map of California shows the California Banff Bee-Line Highway co-signed with the Pacific Highway through Santa Ynez Valley and Buellton (displayed as "Buell").  


The initial draft of the US Route System was approved by the Secretary of Agriculture during November of 1925.  The US Route System with in California was approved by California Highway Commission with no changes recommended by January 1926.  The initial alignment of US Route 101 ("US 101") was planned to follow LRN 2 from San Francisco to San Diego via Buellton.  US 101 is shown on a map published in the 1926 California Highways & Public Works following LRN 2 south from San Francisco towards San Diego.
 


During November of 1926 the US Route System was approved by the AASHO.  US 101 can be seen aligned through Buellton on the 1927 National Map Company Sectional Map.


As noted in the intro US 101/LRN 2 can be seen aligned on Avenue of the Flags on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Santa Barbara.
 

The November/December 1947 California Highways & Public Works notes a new bridge over the Santa Ynez River and grading through Buellton was budgeted for the 1948-49 Fiscal Year. 


The September/October 1948 California Highways & Public Works discusses the ongoing rebuild and expansion of US 101/LRN 2 in Buellton via the so-called "Buellton Agreement."  The Buellton Agreement is stated to include an expansion of US 101/LRN 2 on Avenue of the Flags to expressway standards (called "freeway" at the time) along with two new steel bridges at Nojoqui Creek and the Santa Ynez River. 




The September/October 1949 California Highways & Public Works features the completed expansion of US 101/LRN 2 on Avenue of the Flags in Buellton.  A letter from Pea Soup Andersen's details the benefits it's business had seen from the four lane expansion of US 101/LRN 2.  








The November/December 1962 California Highways & Public Works lists a freeway bypass grade for US 101/LRN 2 being budgeted for the 1963-64 Fiscal Year. 


In 1964 the Legislative Route Numbers were dropped as part of the State Highway Renumbering.  LRN 2 through Buellton was subsequently legislatively redefined as simply part of US 101.  The July/August 1965 California Highways & Public Works features the completed Buellton Bypass Project.  The Buellton Bypass opened on June 10th, 1965 and served to realign US 101 off Avenue of the Flags onto the new freeway grade.  The Buellton Bypass began south of the Santa Ynez River and extended north around Buellton.








Part 2; a drive on former US Route 101 on Avenue of the Flags in Buellton

From modern US 101 southbound Avenue of the Flags can be accessed from Exit 140B.  







A 1955 Chevrolet sitting for sale alongside Avenue of the Flags.


The former expressway grade of US 101 on Avenue of the Flags in Buellton as obvious as it heads south through Buellton to California State Route 246.  Buellton would incorporate as a City on February 1st, 1992.  Pea Soup Andersen's can be found at the northeast corner of Avenue of the Flags and California State Route 246.  Pea Soup Andersen's traces it's origins to the opening of the Electric Cafe in 1924 and features a signature French pea soup recipe.  







Avenue of the Flags continues south of California State Route 246 and crosses the 1948 Santa Ynez River Bridge.  Upon crossing the Santa Ynez River the former alignment of US 101 becomes Santa Rosa Road and intersects the modern freeway grade.  








Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway.  In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County.  That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848.  During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...