California State Route 233

Circumstance had me heading out of Fresno northbound. With that being the case I decided to finish CA 233 that I had missed out of due to traffic when I photo-clinched CA 152. CA 233 is a tiny state highway running entirely on Robertson Boulevard from CA 99 in Chowchilla four miles southwest to CA 152.

Before CA 99/US 99 was a freeway what is now CA 233 would have terminated at Chowchilla Boulevard ahead in the photo below. Originally Chowchilla Boulevard would have had a junction with Robertson Boulevard north of the railroad tracks roughly where the "Chowchilla City Limit" sign is located now.

Chowchilla has only been around since the very early 20th century and is named after the river of the same name which follows out of the Sierras to the San Joaquin River. The name Chowchilla is an incorrect spelling of the Chaushila tribe.

Leaving Chowchilla on CA 233 southeast there is a dual row of palms lining Robertson Boulevard.

Only the last mile of CA 233 before the terminus at CA 152 is actually a 55 MPH zone.

Prior to 1964 the route that became CA 233 was unsigned Legislative Route Number 124 which was adopted in 1933. The change from LRN 124 to CA 233 can be observed on the maps below, CAhighways.org has a stub on the highway as well.

CAhighways.org on CA 233

1963 State Highway Map

1964 State Highway Map

1969 State Highway Map

Comments

Tulare Lake returns

During the winter of 2023 California experienced one of the wettest seasons in recent decades. Enough snow and water were deposited into the Sierra Nevada Mountains that the runoff was enough to partially reform Tulare Lake within San Joaquin Valley. Tulare Lake was once the largest lake west of the Mississippi River by surface area. Tulare Lake has been largely dried for the past century due to irrigation divisions and upstream impoundments. This blog will examine the history of Tulare Lake and its recent return. Pictured as the blog cover is Tulare Lake from 19th Avenue in Kings County during early May 2023. Tulare Lake can be seen near its maximum extent below on the 1876 P.Y. Baker Map of Tulare County . Part 1; the history of Tulare Lake Tulare Lake is the largest remnant of Lake Corcoran. Lake Corcoran once covered much of the entire Central Valley due to being it being located at a in natural low point from where mountain run-off would accumulate. Lake Corcoran is thou

Former US Route 101 through Sargent

Sargent is a ghost town and siding of the Southern Pacific Railroad located in southern Santa Clara County. The original alignment of US Route 101 was aligned through Sargent via what is now known as Old Monterey Road. Sargent was bypassed gradually due to shifts of the alignment of US Route 101 which occurred during 1941 and 1950. Pictured as the blog cover is a view on Old Monterey Road which is now no longer accessible to the general public. Below is a scan of the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Santa Clara County which depicts the original alignment US Route 101 through Sargent. Part 1; the history of US Route 101 in Sargent Sargent lies on land which was once part of Rancho Juristac. During 1856 James P. Sargent purchased Rancho Juristac and plotted what was known as Sargent Ranch. By 1869 the Southern Pacific Railroad coast line reached the relocated town site of Gilroy. The Southern Pacific Railroad coast line would be constructed through Chittenden Pass by 1871 whic

California State Route 60/Former US Route 60/70 through the Moreno Valley Badlands west to Riverside

This past month I drove California State Route 60 through the Moreno Valley Badlands westward towards the City of Riverside. CA 60 through the Moreno Valley Badlands was once part of the corridors of US Route 60 and US Route 70. The present route of CA 60 is a 70 mile (76 counting multiplex) slice of former US 60 between downtown Los Angeles east to I-10 near Beaumont. The vast majority of CA 60 aside from a small section in the Moreno Valley Badlands is presently a freeway grade. For me CA 60 holds some personal history as it was the route I used most frequently accessing work sites in the Inland Empire circa 2011-2013. Despite what many others probably would say I always really enjoyed the Moreno Valley Badlands portion of CA 60. Considering I frequently worked on US 60 through Arizona and New Mexico the route holds even more appeal. I even have a CA 60 shield hanging up in my garage. Part 1; History of Roadways in the Moreno Valley Badlands CA 60 between B