Mil Potrero Highway is an approximately 8.2-mile component of Kern County Mountain Road 364 located along the San Andreas Fault Rift Zone in the San Emigdio Mountains. This corridor begins at the junction of Cuddy Valley Road/Mount Pinos Highway and extends westward through the community of Pine Mountain Club to the junction of Cerro Noroeste Road/Hudson Ranch Road at Apache Saddle.
Mil Potrero Highway from Cuddy Valley to San Emigdio Canyon follows the general corridor of El Camino Viejo. El Camino Viejo was in common use by 1780 and was the original inland Spanish highway to Los Angeles. The Tenneco corporation would develop Mil Potrero Highway in the early 1970s to facilitate access to the then new resort community of Pine Mountain Club.
Part 1; the history of Mil Potrero Highway
The general corridor of Mil Potrero Highway from Cuddy Valley Road to San Emigdio Canyon follows the established routing of El Camino Viejo. The remaining part of the corridor west to Cerro Noreste Road and Hudson Ranch Road was developed as part of the construction of the Pine Mountain Club community during the early 1970s.
Since the Spanish Missions were located along the coast the majority of travel in Spanish Las Californias was along El Camino Real. Travel into the interior of Las Californias through San Joaquin Valley was a difficult prospect given the lack of civilization and more so due to the Tule Marshes of Kern Lake, Buena Vista Lake, Tulare Lake and the San Joaquin River. Travel inland to the San Francisco Bay Area from Los Angeles was desired by some which led to the creation El Camino Viejo which was in common use as early as 1780.
El Camino Viejo was the first European route from Los Angeles to San Joaquin Valley. From Los Angeles the highway continued northward into San Fernando Valley and to Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana. From San Fernando Valley the highway ascended into the Sierra Pelona Mountains. El Camino Viejo entered San Francisquito Canyon to San Francisquito Pass where it emptied into Antelope Valley in the western flank of the Mojave Desert near Elizabeth Lake.
Upon entering Antelope Valley, the route of El Camino Viejo turned west along the San Andreas Fault to what is modern day Gorman where it intersected part of what would become the Ridge Route. Unlike the Ridge Route (the original alignment of US Route 99) which turned north into Tejon Pass to reach San Joaquin Valley via Grapevine Canyon the course of El Camino Viejo continued west into Cuddy Valley. El Camino Viejo passed through Cuddy Valley along the northern flank of Frazier Mountain and Mount Pinos into San Emigdio Mountains.
El Camino Viejo continued northward through San Emigdio Canyon and emerged into San Joaquin Valley near the shores of Kern Lake. The highway followed the western watershed of Tulare Lake following the general corridor of modern California State Route 33 towards Corral Hollow Pass in the Diablo Range.
El Camino Viejo continued to serve Las Californias until the Mexican War of Independence. Las Californias became a Mexican Territory in 1821 and was renamed to Alta California in 1824. Mexican governance brought further civilization to San Joaquin Valley, but it largely remained a remote landscape with few changes to El Camino Viejo. Everything would change following the discovery of Gold in Sutter's Mill along the South Fork American River in the Sierra Nevada range during January of 1848.
In February of 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was ratified which ceded Alta California to the United States at the conclusion of the Mexican-American War. By March news of the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill was published by newspapers in San Francisco. The New York Herald published their article on the gold discovery in August of 1848 bringing widespread attention to the newly acquired Californian territory.
Then United States President James Polk spoke of the gold discovery in California in December 1848. By 1849 the California Gold Rush had begun which spurred growth throughout California. A large percentage of the influx of settlers made their way to the Sierra Nevada range to take advantage of the plentiful mining claims. California itself would become a State in 1850.
Although the California Gold Rush was mainly centered around the northern extent of the Sierra Nevada range it was wasn't long before additional claims were made further south. By 1853 gold claims were struck along the Kern River which led to the Kern River Gold Rush. The Kern River Gold Rush would spur numerous claims in the southern Sierra Nevada.
Given the routing of El Camino Viejo was largely aligned west of Tulare Lake it was found to be wanting as a major stage road which would link Stockton, the southern Sierra Nevada mining claims and Los Angeles. A new route from Stockton to Los Angeles following the Sierra Nevada along the eastern edge of San Joaquin Valley was plotted. This state route came to be known as the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.
In 1853 Castac Pass through Grapevine Canyon west of the Old Tejon Pass was surveyed by Robert S. Williamson of the Army Corps of Engineers for a possible path of Transcontinental Railroad. The 1853 surveying expedition found Castac Pass through Grapevine Canyon to be a far more viable route for travelers and the primary alignment was of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road was shifted west from Old Tejon Pass.
Castac Pass had a far lower terminal elevation at 4,144 feet above sea level and had a gentler grade through Grapevine Canyon. In 1854 a U.S. Army Garrison was established at Fort Tejon in Grapevine Canyon near modern Lebec to protect settlers and travelers along the Stockton-Los Angeles Road. In time Castac Pass became known as Fort Tejon Pass and eventually simply Tejon Pass. Tejon Pass would later become part of the Ridge Route alignment and Interstate 5.
The 1857 Britton & Rey's Map of California shows all the major routes traversing the mountains between San Fernando Valley and San Joaquin Valley. Highlighted below the Cuddy Canyon alignment of El Camino Viejo, the path over Old Tejon Pass, and the primary route of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road over Tejon Pass can be seen. The route of El Camino Viejo and Stockton-Los Angeles Road south of Antelope Valley took an identical path through San Francisquito Canyon to San Fernando Valley. Mount Pinos can be seen as a major waypoint a short distance west of Fort Tejon.
The establishment of Fort Tejon spurred commercial logging interests in the San Emigdio Mountains, Mount Pinos and Frazier Mountain. In 1854 a sawmill was established along the northern flanks of Frazier Mountain. The lumber mill supplied wood for much of the construction of buildings at nearby Fort Tejon. A sawmill on the northern flank of Mount Pinos was established by Joseph Gale. Gale's sawmill would begin to also supply lumber for construction of buildings at Fort Tejon (history of Los Padres National Forest) by 1857.
El Camino Viejo can be seen passing through Cuddy Valley and San Emigdio Canyon on the 1882 Bancroft's map of California.
El Camino Viejo can be seen passing through Cuddy Valley and San Emigdio Canyon in detail on the 1903 United States Geological Survey map of Mount Pinos.
El Camino Viejo would begin to become modernized beginning with the plotting of Frazier Park in Cuddy Canyon circa 1925. The portion of El Camino Viejo from US Route 99 west to Frazier Park was renamed as Frazier Mountain Park Road. The segment west of Lockwood Valley Road to through Cuddy Valley west to San Emigdio Creek would be renamed as Cuddy Valley Road. It isn't clear what the remaining part of the roadway through San Emigdio Canyon was called during the era.
In 1971 Tenneco West would plot the resort community of Pine Mountain Club near San Emigdio Creek. Part of the development of the new community included the modernization of existing El Camino Viejo from Cuddy Valley Road to San Emigdio Canyon. Tenneco West would also construct an additional segment from San Emigdio Canyon west to Cerro Noroeste Road (now partially Hudson Ranch Road). The improved roadway through Pine Mountain Club was named Mil Potrero Highway during February 1972.
Most of modern Mil Potrero Highway west from Cuddy Valley Road to San Emigdio Canyon is located above the previous grade of El Camino Viejo. The older roadway to San Joaquin Valley was abandoned. It was eventually repurposed as the 5.2 mile El Camino Viejo Bike Trail and 3.23 El Camino Viejo Wilderness Trail of the Wind Wolves Preserve.
Modern Mil Potrero Highway appears on 1991 era United States Geological Survey maps. These maps display the highway as largely fronting the San Andreas Fault Rift Zone. Mil Potrero Highway is a component of Kern County Mountain Road 364.
Part 2; a drive on Mil Potrero Highway
Westbound Mil Potrero Highway begins at the junction of Cuddy Valley Road and Mount Pinos Highway. This junction is located at approximately 6,000 feet above sea level at the western extent of Cuddy Valley. Traffic heading westbound is notified Pine Mountain Club in addition to California State Routes 166 and 33 can be reached by following Mil Potrero Highway.
Westbound Mil Potrero Highway rapidly descends along San Emigdio Creek and reaches the top of San Emigdio Canyon at approximately 4,800 feet above sea level. The corridor of Mil Potrero Highway splits from the historic corridor of El Camino Viejo around this point.
Mil Potrero Highway enters Pine Mountain Club.
Mil Potrero Highway passes through Pine Mountain Club. Upon departing the community, the highway reaches a terminus at Apache Saddle where it meets Cerro Noroeste Road and Hudson Ranch Road. Westbound traffic and Kern County Mountain Road 364 both transition onto Hudson Ranch Road.
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