Centerville is one of the oldest communities in what is now Fresno County having been founded as Scottsburg in 1854. The Centerville community has historically been tied to the history of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and the Squaw Valley Road. The Squaw Valley Road would later be known as Dunlap Road and became a component of California State Route 180 in August 1934. By the 1940s the corridor was renamed Kings Canyon Road in reference to Kings Canyon National Park. For the majority of the life of California State Route 180 in Centerville, it has not strayed far from Kings Canyon Road. This changed in 2020 when California State Route 180 was relocated onto the Kings Canyon Expressway. This blog serves as an overview of the history of California State Route 180 and general evolution of highways in Centerville. California State Route 180 can be seen passing through Centerville and Minkler below on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Fresno Count...
Because every road has a story.