Panoche Road is an approximately 64-mile-long rural highway located in the coast ranges of central California. Panoche Road begins at California State Route 25 near Paicines in San Benito County and carries the designation of County Route J1 through the Diablo Range to Little Panoche Road in Panoche Valley. Panoche Road continues east from Panoche Valley and becomes a dirt highway approaching the ford of Big Panoche Creek. The dirt segment of this corridor continues into Fresno County passing through the Panoche Hills and Tumey Hills before emerging into San Joaquin Valley at an interchange with Interstate 5. The remaining 18 miles of Panoche Road east of Interstate 5 to California State Route 180 near Mendota are comprised of conventional paved highway.
Panoche Pass was a well-established crossing of the Diablo Range prior to European contact. Panoche Road became to come into prominence as the primary highway over the Diablo Range in 1854 following founding of the New Idria Mercury Mine. The corridor over Panoche Pass would remain the favored route over the Diablo Range to San Joaquin Valley until the Pacheco Pass Highway was rebuilt to State Highway standards in 1923.
Panoche Road was designated as part of California State Route 180 in August 1934 when the initial run of Sign State Route was announced. Despite obtaining a Sign Route designation the corridor of Panoche Road was never adopted as State Highway and was only partially modernized during the 1940s. In 1958 County Route J1 was designated over Panoche Road between California State Route 25 and Little Panoche Road.
In 1959 Legislative Route Number 263 was added to the State Highway System as a planned corridor following the established path of Panoche Road. Despite being annexed into the legislative definition of California State Route 180 in 1964 the corridor Panoche Road has never been added to the State Highway System. A 2013 report on traversable routings suggested a new alignment would be needed to extend California State Route 180 west of Interstate 5.
Panoche Road can be seen as part of California State Route 180 on the 1938 Division of Highways map.
This map illustrates the modern extent of Panoche Road.
Part 1; the history of Panoche Road
Panoche Pass is a low pass of the Diablo Range which is located at 2,250 feet above sea level. Said pass was well known to the Yokuts of San Joaquin Valley prior to European contact. The Spanish had documented use of Panoche Pass as it was at the time the best documented path through the Diablo Range. The pass is near the location of the headwaters of Arroyo de Panoche Grande (Big Panoche Creek).
Panoche Road during the American statehood period of California is heavily tied to the history of the New Idria Mercury Mine. In 1851 a group of investors raised $9,000 to launch the Aurora Silver Mine at San Carlos Creek near the northwest flank of San Benito Peak in the Diablo Range. The once promising strike turned out be to be a disappointment as what the miners thought to be silver was actually a large seam of chromite. As work continued a large deposit of cinnabar was discovered near the Aurora Silver Mine in 1854.
A claim was filed formally for the New Idria Mercury Mine on March 20, 1854. The additional source of mercury was welcome at the height of the California Gold Rush which led to a boom along San Carlos Creek. The then new boom town was named New Idria in reference to the Slovenian mercury mining town Idrija (then under Austrian control).
The slow start of the New Idria Mercury Mine was referenced in the December 4, 1858, Placer Herald. The article notes production of quicksilver was underway but had yet to be produced in large quantities. The mine owners are noted to be headquartered out of San Francisco. The New Idria Merury Mine had incorporated earlier in 1858.
During the early days of New Idria it was primarily supplied from the nearest major town which was San Juan Bautista seventy-three miles to the northwest. Miners and supply wagons would traverse Panoche Pass through the wilderness of the Diablo Range. The roadway from San Juan Bautista to New Idria would form much of the basis for modern Panoche Road and New Idria Road.
Transcriptions of the 1861 Whitney Survey travels along Panoche Road to the New Idria area can be found at these blog pages:
The Whitney Survey had been ordered by the California legislature in 1860. The 1860 legislative act named Josiah D. Whitney (namesake of Mount Whitney) to make an accurate geological survey of the state. The Whitney Survey was conducted between 1860-1864.
Through much of the early history of New Idria ownership over the mercury claims was highly contentious. At one point there was approximately thirty filed counterclaims over ownership. Many of the counterclaims had basis in existing legislation which had honored Mexican land grants (specifically Rancho Panoche de San Juan y Los Carrisolitos). The matter was finally adjudicated during 1869 by the U.S. Supreme Court case Secretary v. McGarrahan.
In 1869 the United States Post Office would establish service at New Idria. The increasingly prosperous mine would largely spur San Benito County splitting from portions of Monterey County, Merced County and Santa Cruz County on February 12, 1874. By 1880 approximately 4,000 people lived at New Idria which comprised sixty percent of the population of San Benito County.
New Idria can be seen on the 1882 Bancroft's map of California. The mining community is shown to be served by New Idria Road which connected to Panoche Road and the community of Panoche. Panoche Road is shown spanning west to Paicines via the Waggle Tail Grade over Panoche Pass to the 1873-era Southern Pacific Railroad line. Panoche Road east of Panoche is shown crossing the Panoche Hills and Tumey Hills to White's Bridge at Fresno Slough near the modern site of Mendota. From White's Bridge the highway corridor is shown continuing east to Fresno.
The community of Panoche sprang to life in Panoche Valley as outgrowth of the New Idria mine. The community was never particularly large but served travelers along Panoche Road in addition to local rangers. The community eventually grew large enough to warrant educational services at the Panoche School. The area was known as Valle de Panoche Grande during the period Mexican Alta California. The valley name is thought to have been derived from the Yokut word for a species of sugar cane harvested from the area. The word amusingly is also Spanish slang for female genitalia.
Panoche Road can be seen east of Panoche Pass connecting to White's Bridge on the 1891 Thompson Atlas of Fresno County.
The 1913 United States Geological Survey map of Panoche indicates early Panoche Road east of Panoche Creek used a grade north of the modern highway at the San Benito County/Fresno County line. This original alignment can be seen consolidating with the now defunct Silver Creek Road (indicated by blue pin).
Panoche Road can be seen east of the San Benito County line on the 1911 Denny & Company map of Fresno County. The roadway is shown extending from the San Benito County line east to Mendota.
The modern switchback alignment now used by Panoche Road east of Panoche Creek approaching Silver Creek first appears on the 1914 Weber map of Fresno County.
The Panoche School along Panoche Road can be seen in a 1914-era photo (Panoche Elementary School).
This photo is facing east on Panoche Road at the Waggle Tail Grade (alternatively the Jackass Grade) in 1917. This photo was taken by Cardinell-Vincent Company's travel photographers.
A westward view at the uphill incline of the Waggle Trail Grade also from 1917 from the same photoshoot.
The 1920 Denny & Company map of San Benito County indicates Panoche Road to be the then main highway to Fresno and San Joaquin Valley. The Pacheco Pass Highway would become the favored route of travel over the Diablo Range when the corridor was modernized to State Highway standards in 1923 as part of Legislative Route Number 32 (now California State Route 152).
The Panoche Inn is thought to have opened in Panoche Valley during the 1930s. The now restaurant establishment has been in continuous operation into modern times and is now probably the most well-known structure on Panoche Road.
The August 1934 California Highways & Public Works announced the initial run of Sign State Routes. Unlike modern times the initial series of Sign State Routes were not beholden to be posted along corridors maintained by the California Division of Highways. That being the case California State Route 180 was assigned as running west from Legislative Route Number 41 at Mendota to Paicines via Panoche Road. As originally conceived California State Route 180 was planned to span from Independence west to Paicines.
Panoche Road is shown as a major local highway (dotted red lines) on the 1935 Division of Highways maps of Fresno County and San Benito County.
Panoche Road appears as a component of California State Route 180 on the 1937 Gousha map of California.
The 1938 Division of Highways map is the last edition from the state to show California State Route 180 on Panoche Road.
In 1958 Panoche Road east from California State Route 25 near Paicines to Little Panoche Road would be assigned as part of County Route J1. County Route J1 avoided the most haggard portion of Panoche Road in favor of using the gentler Little Panoche Road to reach Mendota in San Joaquin Valley. The J1 corridor can be seen illustrated below on a cahighways.org drawing.
Legislative Route Number 263 would be defined by 1959 Legislative Chapter 1062. The corridor was originally defined as loosely following an unadopted alignment via the Panoche Road corridor as "Legislative Route Number 119 (California State Route 25) near Paicines to Legislative Route Number 41 (California State Route 180) near Mendota." This corridor was also added to the Freeways & Expressways System when it was designated in 1959.
As part of the 1964 State Highway Renumbering what was Legislative Route Number 263 was consolidated into the then new legislative definition of California State Route 180. Specifically, the segment was annexed into Segment A which was defined as "Route 101 near Gilroy to Route 156." California State Route 25 north of Paicines remained field-signed but the Postmile paddles were replaced with that of Route 180.
The above referenced definition of Segment A of California State Route 180 appears for the first time on the 1964 Division of Highways.
The March/April 1966 California Highways & Public Works featured work on construction of the Interstate 5/Panoche Road interchange. Despite this interchange being constructed in 1966 it would not become functional until the early 1970s when much of the West Side Freeway segment of Interstate 5 opened.
The 1975 Caltrans map shows a significant change to the general routing of California State Route 180 west of Mendota. While not adopted, the planned highway is shown jogging directly west of Mendota following the corridor of Belmont Avenue to Interstate 5. The planned highway is shown back tracking south on Interstate 5 and westward again via the Panoche Road corridor to Paicines.
To date the California Transportation Commission has not adopted an alignment for California State Route 180 west of Interstate 5. In 2013 Caltrans ordered a study to extend California State Route 180 west of Mendota to Interstate 5. In February 2019 the Fresno County Transportation Authority agreed to with an alignment adoption on this extension west of Mendota. This planned expressway segment while not funded conceptually would follow Shields Avenue to Interstate 5 and functionally replace a segment of County Route J1.
Part 2; a drive on Panoche Road
Eastbound Panoche Road and County Route J1 begin at California State Route 25 near Paicines. Panoche Road in San Benito County is designated as County Road 98.
Eastbound Panoche Road initially two lanes wide with a center stripe. The highway passes through numerous rural ranches.
Traffic on eastbound Panoche Road is advised of 18 miles of curves. The roadway narrows significantly and crosses several one-lane bridges on the climb to Panoche Pass.
Traffic on eastbound Panoche Road is advised of 18 miles of curves. The roadway narrows significantly and crosses several one-lane bridges on the climb to Panoche Pass.
Panoche Road fords another creek on the final climb to Panoche Pass.
Eastbound Panoche Road crosses the 2,250-foot high Panoche Pass.
Panoche Road narrows to a single lane a short distance east of Panoche Pass and approaches the Waggle Tail Grade.
Panoche Road winds eastward through the Waggle Trail Grade and passes through what was the site of the community of Llanda.
Panoche Road enters Panoche Valley and passes by the Panoche Inn.
Eastbound Panoche Road intersects Little Panoche Road. County Route J1 splits away towards Mendota (42 miles away) via a left-hand turn at this junction. New Idria traffic is advised it can be accessed 25 miles away by following Panoche Road eastbound.
Panoche Road east of Panoche Elementary School intersects New Idria Road at wye junction. The mines at New Idria went defunct in 1972 and the site is now a ghost town.
The pavement on Panoche Road ends at a short distance east of New Idria Road.
Panoche Road fords Big Panoche Creek.
Eastbound Panoche Road begins to climb out of Panoche Valley and enters the Panoche Hills approaching the Fresno County line. There is no county line placard, but the roadway conditions become considerably worse upon entering Fresno County.
Panoche Road begins a rapid descent from the Panoche Hills towards Silver Creek. The Tumey Hills can be seen looming in the distance on the downhill grade.
Panoche Road crosses Silver Creek and passes by the Tumey Hills Recreation Area.
Panoche Road resumes being a paved roadway approaching the businesses at the Interstate 5 interchange. The highway continues east of the freeway as a conventional highway another 18 miles to California State Route 180.
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