Skip to main content

Kitchen Dick Road

By

Between Sequim and Port Angeles US Route 101 intersects one of the most strangely named roads in the country; Kitchen Dick Road.

The origins of the "Kitchen Dick" part of Kitchen Dick Road are unknown.  However, give that Kitchen Dick Road happens to intersect Woodcock Road north of US 101 it would seem likely the naming is intentional.  Kitchen Dick Road is a north/south road approximately 3 miles in length which ends at the Dungeness County Park.  A Google Street View image of Kitchen Dick Road and Woodcock Road can be found here:

Kitchen Dick and Woodcock

I first spotted Kitchen Dick Road while visiting Olympic National Park in 2015.  I vaguely recalled it being present in 2018 when I noticed it on my GPS.  Apparently the junction of Kitchen Dick Road and Woodcock Road is popular not only for photos but for theft as well.  A Kitchen Dick Road sign appeared on eBay earlier this year but had a high sale price nearing $200 dollars.

Update 5/27/18:  I was provided some links to the Sequim area from; 1940, 1970 and 1995 by NE2 of AAroads which provide insight about where naming of Kitchen Dick Road likely came from.

On this 1940 map there is a plot of land owned by a "W. Dick" on what is now Kitchen Dick Road.  Incidentally there is also a land owner by the name of "Sam Woodcock" along what is now Woodcock Road.

1940 Sequim Historical Map

In 1970 Kitchen Dick Road is shown as "Dick Lane."  There is also a small plot of land at Dick Lane and US 101 owned by "D.B. Kitchen."

1970 Sequim Historical Map

In 1995 Kitchen Dick road was known as "Bill Dick Road."

1995 Sequim Historical Map
Labels:

Comments

Unknown said…
Hi! The road was actually named for the two families that lived on opposite ends of the road. Hello from the dick half of the name :)
6:33 PM
AHURA-MAZDA said…
That fits with what I heard from the Kitchen family. When I was in FFA I use to buy my Steers from them. Though she did say it was originally Kitchen but to honor both families Dick was added.
5:26 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cajon Pass; Cajon Pass Toll Road, National Old Trails Road, US Route 66/91/395 and Interstate 15

By
This past weekend I spent some time in Cajon Pass traversing the many historic road alignments. Cajon Pass is located in San Bernardino County, California along the San Andreas Fault.  Cajon Pass  serves the boundary line between the Mojave Desert, the San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains and San Bernardino Valley.  Cajon Pass is historically one of the most traveled transportation corridors in American California and presently is served by four rail lines, Interstate 15 and California State Route 138. While Cajon Pass is known mostly for carrying US Route 66 it has carried numerous other signed highways that have had a significant impact on regional and national road travel.  While this is my best attempt to compile everything from the best sources I could find into one single transportation history blog regarding road travel in Cajon Pass I suspect as time goes on this article will be frequently updated.  If you have any information that you ...
1 comment
Read more

Pardee Dam Road

By
Pardee Dam is a 358-foot-high concrete structure located near Campo Seco at the Calaveras County and Amador County Line.  Pardee Dam impounds the Mokelumne River which forms the namesake Pardee Reservoir.  Pardee Dam was completed during 1929 and is part of the East Bay Municipal Utility District.  Pardee Dam is accessed by the namesake Pardee Dam Road which crosses the structure via the one-lane road seen as the blog cover photo.   Part 1; the history of Pardee Dam Road The closest community to Pardee Dam is that of Campo Seco on the Calaveras County side of the Mokelumne River.  Campo Seco was founded in 1850 by Mexican Miners who worked placer claims in Oregon Gulch during the height of the California Gold Rush.  Campo Seco would reach a population of about three hundred by 1860 spurred by the numerous mining claims in the area.  Main Street of Campo Seco flowed directly into the Campo Seco Turnpike which had been authorized by the California L...
2 comments
Read more

California State Route 82/Old US Route 101 on the El Camino Real from San Francisco to Interstate 380

By
After completing Interstate 380 I made my way northward into the City Limits of San Francisco to drive the northernmost portion of California State Route 82. CA 82 is 52 mile State Route between I-280 in San Francisco southward to Interstate 880 in San Jose.  CA 82 is significant due to it being part of the historical surface alignment of US Route 101 and the El Camino Real. The "El Camino Real" was a Spanish Highway in Las Californias and Alta California which connected the 21 Catholic Missions along the coast.  Essentially the route of the El Camino Real was plotted out in the late 1700s from two Spanish survey expeditions.  The Missions were plotted approximately 30 miles apart along the 600 mile route so that they would be a single day journey by horse.  The El Camino Real name fell into disuse after the Mexican Revolution of 1821 but was revived by American highway promoters in the 1890s and 1900s.  Today the El Camino Real is mostly associated...
2 comments
Read more