Nexus of the Universe; the Bulter, California ghost town site

Near the far flung eastern expanses of the city of Fresno in a County Island there is a roadside oddity along Butler Avenue. Just west of the junction with Fowler Avenue there is a cross-street signed as Butler/Butler.

If you are a Seinfeld fan you'd might consider a junction where a street intersects with itself to be the "nexus of the universe." Howsoever it appears the Butler/Butler street blade signage is simply the result of Fresno County not often signing; street, place, lane, road, drive, or boulevard for whatever reason. However, the location of Butler/Butler is approximately located a half mile north of the Butler ghost town site. Butler was located on the Southern Pacific Railroad line heading east out of downtown Fresno towards Sanger.

Butler was a rail siding town along the Stockton and Tulare Railroad which was apparently built likely in 1887. The first map reference to Butler I can find is on the 1889 map of the State of California.

1889 Map of California

Butler appears to have been a sizeable settlement as evidenced by this sectional of a large Fresno County Map below from 1891.

1891 Fresno County Sectional Map

Interestingly Butler appears to have been located at the junction of what is now Fowler Avenue and a street called Malvoise Avenue. Malvoise Avenue used to run on the north side of the Stockton and Tulare Railroad tracks. A portion of Malvoise Avenue appears to still exist today as a rail service road west of Clovis Avenue. Bulter appears to have had an organized street grid that appears to have been completely lost to time. Muscatel Avenue is the modern alignment of Butler Avenue but I have no idea when the name may have changed.

The last map reference I can find for Bulter was on the 1935 California Division of Highways Fresno County map. Additional sidings east of Butler can be seen and were called; Locans, Ivesta, and Clotho.

1935 Fresno County Highway Map

Comments

North Carolina Continues to Move Forward with Rail

2023 and the first half of 2024 have seen continued growth in North Carolina's passenger rail system. From increased daily trains from Raleigh to Charlotte, federal funds for studying additional corridors, and receiving a historic grant to begin the construction of high-speed rail between Raleigh and Richmond, the last 18 months have been a flurry of activity at NCDOT's Rail Division. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. As ridership and routes increase - the engine of North Carolina passenger rail trains will become a more common sight. (Adam Prince) Increased Passenger Train Service: On July 10, 2023, a fourth Piedmont round-trip rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte commenced. The four Piedmont trains plus the daily Carolinian (to Washington, DC, and New York) bring the total of trains serving the two cities daily to five. The current daily Piedmont and Carolinian schedule between Charlotte and Raleigh (NCDOT) The result was over 641,000 passengers utilized pa

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County. The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s. US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935. US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68. As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934. US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County . The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County. D

The Midway Palm and Pine of US Route 99

Along modern day California State Route 99 south of Avenue 11 just outside the City limits of Madera one can find the Midway Palm and Pine in the center median of the freeway. The Midway Palm and Pine denotes the halfway point between the Mexican Border and Oregon State Line on what was US Route 99. The Midway Palm is intended to represent Southern California whereas the Midway Pine is intended to represent Northern California. Pictured above the Midway Palm and Pine can be seen from the northbound lanes of the California State Route 99 Freeway. 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 The history of the Midway Palm and Pine The true timeframe for when the Midway Palm and Pine (originally a Deadora Cedar Tree) were planted is unknown. In fact, the origin of the Midway Palm and Pine w