Las Pilitas Road is an approximately 7-mile rural highway located in the La Panza Range of San Luis Obispo County. This corridor begins at Pozo Road (former California State Route 178) and crosses the Salinas River. From the Salinas River the roadway continues eastward following Pilitas Creek to a terminus at Park Hill Road. Las Pilitas Road was originally constructed in 1886 and has been largely known as "Rinconada-Pilitas Road" historically. This highway originally crossed the Salinas River via fords constructed in 1886 and 1898. In 1916 San Luis Obispo County would install a truss span at the Salinas River which was lengthened in 1948 with a timber post span. The 1916-era Salinas River Bridge was closed in 2006 when a modern concrete span was installed directly to the south. Part 1; the history of Las Pilitas Road What is now Las Pilitas Road was surveyed by San Luis Obispo County in 1886. The roadway (originally called Rinconada and Pi...
Santa Fe Grade Road near Firebaugh in Fresno County is an approximately 0.3-mile rural roadway built on a repurposed railroad grade. Santa Fe Grade Road begins at Shaw Avenue and continues northwest as a public highway to the end of the asphalt. The grade was constructed by the San Francisco & San Joaquin Railroad during the 1880s but was found to be consistently flood prone. The grade was later sold to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1898 which later abandoned it to Fresno County. Part 1; the history of Santa Fe Grade Road The origin of Santa Fe Grade Road lies in the 1880s when San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley Railroad president Claus Spreckels was attempting to acquire right-of-way. Spreckels' line was in competition with the Southern Pacific Railroad to build a line in western San Joaquin Valley. Any prospective westside line would have to cross the properties owned by the so-called "Cattle King of California" Henry Miller....