California State Route 153; The Supposedly Shortest State Highway

I mentioned California State Route 153 in El Dorado County on the CA 49 blog but I thought it was worth it's own blog entry considering the boast made on the placard about it being the "Shortest" state highway in California.

CA 153 is a 0.544 mile route from CA 49 near Coloma to the James Marshall Monument in Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.

CA 153 being the the "Shortest State Highway" certainly isn't true as CA 225, CA 275, CA 283 and CA 77 are actually shorter.

CAhighways.org list of shortest state highways

CA 153 isn't even technically the shortest signed State Highway as CA 77 is presently signed at only 0.45 miles.. But with that said, CA 153 isn't signed particularly well as there is nothing to indicate there is an actual highway junction at CA 49 at the beginning of the route at Cold Springs Road. CA 153 begins on the left in the pictures below.

CA 153 turns off of Cold Springs Road on to Monument Road on the right in the picture below. Again, there is no indication that CA 153 actually exists due to the lack of signage.

Even most of Monument Road lacks any real indication that you're on CA 153.

Which changes with this lone CA 153 shield which might be the rarest ever posted in California.

CA 153 ends at the Marshall Monument which is dedicated to the finding of gold in the waters of the South Fork American River which spurred the 1849 California Gold Rush. CA 153 was a 1964 renumbering of Legislative Route Number 92 which was adopted which was adopted in 1933.

CAhighways.org on CA 153

The change from LRN 92 to CA 153 actually is observable on the 1963 and 1964 State Highway Maps.

It appears that at least up until the 1990s CA 153 wasn't actually signed in the field. The shield must have been a rogue placement by Caltrans District 3 as CA 153 isn't shown as signed on the 1990 State Highway Map

The 1935 California Division of Highways Map of El Dorado County actually shows LRN 92 branching off from CA 49 to Marshall's Monument.

1935 El Dorado County Highway Map

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