Gribblenation

The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...

Sheep Ranch Road is an approximately 13.4-mile rural highway located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras County.  This roadway begins at Main Street in the town of Murphys and terminates at Railroad Flat Road after passing through the namesake community of Sheep Ranch.  Sheep Ranch is a town site which was plotted following the discovery of gold in 1860 at ranching lands owned by George Johnson.  The community is most famous for the Sheep Ranch Mine which was worked from 1867-1942.   Part 1; the history of Sheep Ranch Road Sheep Ranch Road is named after the Gold Rush community of Sheep Ranch.  Said community is located approximately nine miles north of the town of Murphys.  During the early California Gold Rush George Johnson owned a sizeable sheep ranch north of Murphys.  Johnson's ranch was found to have gold ore deposits in 1860 which led to an influx of miners settling in the area.  The mining camp grew into a small town called ...