Skip to main content

Rock Creek Road (Calaveras County)

By

Rock Creek Road is a 14.6-mile rural highway located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras County.  The corridor begins at California State Route 4 near Main Street in Copperopolis and extends west to County Route J14 (Milton Road) in Milton via Salt Springs Valley. 

Rock Creek Road is one of the oldest highways in Calaveras County.  The roadway came into common use during the 1850s to service the Madam Felix Mining District and early Salt Springs Valley Reservoir.  In 1871 the corridor would begin to service stages departing the terminus of the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad in Milton.  Rock Creek Road would remain a major county highway through the 1930s until the railroad feeding it freight traffic went defunct in 1940. 




Part 1; the history of Rock Creek Road

Much of Rock Creek Road passes through Salt Springs Valley.  The valley was part of the Madam Felix Mining District which had sparse success for gold mining operators beginning in the 1850s.  The towns of Hodson and Felix were accessible via stage road which followed Rock Creek east of Stockton.  In 1857-1858 the valley would be first dammed by William H. Hanford as it was found it be more useful for cattle grazing.  

The Royal Mill at Hobson can be seen in an undated photo from the Calaveras County Historical Society.  Hobson was located approximately a mile west of Rock Creek Road on Littlejohn Creek.  


Copperopolis was founded in 1860 by William K. Reed, Dr. Allen Blatchly and Thomas McCarty.  The claims at Copperopolis were the second major copper strike in Calaveras County after those found at Telegraph City.  By 1862 William K. Reed sold his interests in the Union Mine and constructed the namesake Reeds Turnpike to Stockton.  This roadway would remain a franchise toll road until 1865 when it became a public highway.  Reeds Turnpike would later be used as a basis for much of early California State Route 4 between Stockton and Copperopolis.  

Reeds Turnpike turned out to be insufficient to haul copper ore from Copperopolis.  This led to the incorporation of the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad in October 1865.  By 1871 what the line reached what was intended to be a temporary terminus in Milton.  From Milton stages would depart east to Copperopolis along Rock Creek Road.  The railroad was planned to be extended to Copperopolis but never extended east of Milton. 

The 1873 Bancroft's Map of California displays the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad extended (as planned) to Copperopolis via Rock Creek in error.  The Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad operated as an independent entity until 1874 when it was leased to the Central Pacific Railroad.  The line was fully acquired by the Central Pacific in 1885 and was consolidated into the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1888. 


In 1880 the Salt Springs Valley Reservoir would be expanded which likely made any railroad extension to Copperopolis far more difficult.  The Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad can be seen terminating at Milton and the beginning of Rock Creek Road on the 1882 Bancroft's Map of California.  


Rock Creek Road can be seen extending from Milton to Copperopolis on the 1914 C.F. Weber Map of Calaveras County.  The map displays the small community of Towers which is more commonly known as "Felix." 


The 1935 Division of Highways Map of Calaveras County shows Rock Creek Road (dotted line) as a major local highway.  California State Route 4 (solid red line) can be seen following the former Reeds Turnpike (adopted in 1931 as Legislative Route Number 75) to the south.  The Rock Creek Bridge found currently along Rock Creek Road near Milton would be constructed in 1936. 



The Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad would be abandoned by 1940 which would lead to a decline in Milton.  Usage of Rock Creek Road would plummet as it became far practical to use California State Route 4 to reach Copperopolis.  Post Office service in Milton closed in 1941 and the community has become a near ghost town.  



Part 2; a drive on Rock Creek Road

The photo tour in this section begins at the terminus of westbound Felix Road at Rock Creek Road.  


Rock Creek Road west of Felix Road is two lanes to the Salt Spring Valley Reservoir Campground.  The earthen Salt Springs Valley Dam is the same earthen structure which has been in use since 1880.  

















Rock Creek Road follows the course of the namesake creek as a one lane road through Long Gulch.  The roadway emerges onto the 1936 Rock Creek Bridge approaching Milton.  
































Rock Creek Road terminates at Milton Road (County Route J14) in the community of Milton.  











The site of the Keystone Lodge can be found at Milton Road and Green Street which was once the terminus of the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad.  The Keystone Lodge was built in during the copper boom in Copperopolis during 1862 and was moved to Milton in 1881.  It is unclear when the Keystone Lodge disappeared given the plaque discussing the history of the structure was erected during 1962.




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

By
  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

By
  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...
Post a Comment
Read more

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

By
After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...
4 comments
Read more