Skip to main content

Oddities; Minkler and Centerville

Many a days travel on CA 180 east of Fresno has taken me by some weird small locations I've only kind of looked into until today; Minkler and Centerville.  Essentially both locations are close to being ghost towns and have really lost their significance to time.  I was heading back towards Fresno on CA 180 and encountered Minkler first along Byrd Slough.



The sign in the second picture above indicates Minkler has 30 residents but given the age of the sign I highly doubt it really is that many people today.  Minkler was essentially a rail siding that was created back in 1920.  Back in the hey day of Minkler it was located at the junction of the Wahtoke District Railroad and Porterville-Orosi District Railroad.  The Wahotke District Railroad used to travel north on the Kings River towards Piedra which terminated at a local rock quarry.  Both lines were abandoned in the 1960s and 1970s:

Porterville-Orosi District Railroad

Wahotke District Railroad

Today there are only a couple structures in Minkler still inhabited.  One of them on the south side of CA 180 is called the Minkler Cash Store is reportedly a place where locals just basically regale tourists and people passing by about local lore.







A mile or so west of Minkler over the Kings River is Centerville.  Centerville actually is one of the oldest communities in what is now Fresno County having been founded back in 1854 as Scottsburg.  By 1858 Poole's Ferry was established as a crossing of the Kings River which was part of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road which had only been created five years prior.  The original town site was destroyed in a flood in 1867 and it was resettled to the west as Centerville in the present location.  Centerville has approximately 400 residents according to the 2010 census but I'm not sure what area that figure actually consists of.







Interestingly according to the 1935 California Divisions of Highways Map of Fresno County CA 180 to take a substantially different route through Centerville than the modern alignment.  The 1935 shows CA 180 using an old section of Ventura Avenue along with Smith Avenue.

1935 California Division of Highways Map; Fresno County

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bridgeport Covered Bridge

The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is a historic crossing of the South Fork Yuba River located in Nevada County, California near Nevada City.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge opened as a tolled crossing during 1862 as part of the larger Henness Pass Road.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge closed to vehicle traffic during 1972 and was recently restored during 2021.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is historically California's longest covered span is thought to likely be the longest such structure surviving in the world.  Featured as the blog cover is the Bridgeport Covered Bridge during 1950 when it was an active part of Pleasant Valley Road.   The history of the Bridgeport Covered Bridge The history of Bridgeport Covered Bridge was featured in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works .  Bridgeport Covered Bridge was constructed during 1862 over the South Fork Yuba River.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge served as part of the Virginia Turnpike Company maintained Henness Pass Roa

Former California State Route 215

  California State Route 215 was a short-lived state highway which existed in the Los Angeles Metropolitain area after the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.  California State Route 215 was aligned from US Route 60 at 5th Street in Pomona north to US Route 66 near Claremont via Garey Avenue.  California State Route 215 came to be after California State Route 71 was bisected in Pomona due to relinquishment of a portion of Garey Avenue due to the opening of a portion of the Corona Freeway (now Chino Valley Freeway) during 1958.  California State Route 215 was deleted by the Legislature during 1965. The history of California State Route 215 The initial segment of what was to become California State Route 215 was added to the State Highway System as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act.  The First State Highway Bond Act defined what would become  Legislative Route Number 19  (LRN 19) as running from Claremont to Riverside.  The segment of LRN 19 between Claremont and Pomona would in

US Route 70 over San Augustin Pass

San Augustin Pass is a gap in the Organ Mountains, San Augustin Mountains and San Andres in Dona Ana County east of Las Cruces.  San Augustin Pass lies an elevation of approximately 5,600 feet above sea level and was originally traversed by New Mexico State Route 3.  US Route 70 would be realigned over San Augustin Pass during 1934 when it was extended to Los Angeles, California.  During 1963 US Route 82 would be extended through San Augustin Pass to Las Cruces.  Since the early the early 1990s signage of US Route 82 has been withdrawn to Alamogordo.  San Augustin Pass and US Route 70 are largely known for the numerous closures due to test firings originating from the White Sands Missile Range.   Part 1; the history of highway designations over San Augustin Pass San Augustin Pass traditionally has been the easiest from the Rio Grande in Las Cruces east to the Tularosa Basin.  The terrain conditions at San Augustin Pass allowed for an easy crossing in the gap between the Organ Mountains