Ghost Town Tuesday; Eldora, FL and Canaveral National Seashore

Back in 2014 when I was living in the Orlando area I had a lot of time to explore the Atlantic Coastline on Canaveral National Seashore. West of Volusia County Route A1A along Eldora Road is small uninhabited community on the Indian River called Eldora.

Eldora was a small town centered around citrus groves that popped up in the second half of the 19th century. The community of Eldora suffered some hard freezes which kept it from growing to a substantial size. The first time Eldora appears on a map of Volusia County that I could find was in 1886.

1886 Volusia County Map

Today there are only two structures left in Eldora. The Eldora House apparently dates back to 1900 and was once known as the Moulton-Wells house.

County Route A1A 32 is a county level 32.7 mile segment of Florida State Road A1A. CR A1A is a discontinuous segment of A1A which never actually connected to the rest of the route to the south in Cape Canaveral. A 1936 map of Volusia County shows CR A1A with a pre-1945 state road number of 140.

1936 Volusia County Map

Canaveral National Seashore was declared in 1975 and encompasses the Atlantic Coastline from New Smyrna Beach south to the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The coast line south of New Smyrna Beach was some of the least developed in Florida and was always solid for a quiet day on the beach.

Comments

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch. While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page. For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley. Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road. The Stockton Los Ange...

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California. As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles. US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street. California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street. US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton. Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass. Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles. Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...