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Triangle Road (Mariposa County)

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Triangle Road is an eleven-and-a-half-mile rural highway located in Sierra Nevada range of Mariposa County.  The corridor begins at California State Route 140 near the community of Midpines and serves as a cutoff of Mariposa which connects south to California State Route 49.  The corridor was north of Darrah was developed in 1912 in to serve as a fire road and was circa 1936-1937.  Pictured is the blog cover is the Snow Creek Bridge near the community of Darrah. 




Part 1; the history of Triangle Road

The development of early Triangle Road is tied to the history of rural community of Darrah near Snow Creek and Buckingham Mountain.  The community was based around the landholdings of Richard Darrah which began to see substantial growth in the 1870s.  The Snow Creek School (later Mount Buckingham School) would open in 1878, and the community would obtain Post Office Service in 1880. 

Triangle Road can be seen complete north from the Chowchilla School (where the road now meets California State Route 49) to Darrah on the 1897 United States Geological Survey of Yosemite.  Jerseydale Road can be seen branching north of Darrah towards said namesake community.  


The surveying and construction of Triangle Road north of Darrah was conducted during 1912 by a company out of Bootjack.  The purpose of the corridor was to serve as a fire road which would shield the densely developed areas of Mariposa County.  

The extension of Triangle Road northwest to California State Route 140 near Midpines was surveyed in January 1936.  Mariposa acquired the necessary right of way during February 1936 and construction would break ground during the following November.  The corridor was developed as a Civilian Conservation Corps project out of Camp Bootjack and included a new bridge over Snow Creek.  The extension was announced as having an anticipated completion by November 1937. 

Source livingnewdeal.org

The completed extension of Triangle Road north of Darrah appears on the 1947 United States Geological Survey map of El Portal.   The extension is shown to run south of Buckingham Mountain.




Part 2; a drive on Triangle Road

Southbound Triangle Road can be accessed from California State Route 140 near Midpines. 



Triangle Road ascends to a ridge which overlooks the Bootjack area.  







Triangle Road descends to the Snow Creek Bridge with Buckingham Mountain looming overhead.  The Arc Deco design of the Snow Creek Bridge easily places it to the era of Civilian Conservation Corps construction.  















Triangle Road passes through the community of Darrah and intersects the namesake Darrah Road.  


Triangle Road continues south from Darrah and terminates at California State Route 49.  















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