From a modern standpoint, the routing of Interstate 15 between Barstow to the Nevada state line is very clear. Historically regarding US Route 91 this wasn't the case as the hostile and barren parts of the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County had few good roadways.
The early alignment of US Route 91 in the Mojave Desert of California passed through the communities of Daggett and Yermo. Both towns have histories tied to historic overland routes and railroads through the Mojave.
Much of the corridor that would become US Route 91 in the Californian Mojave was proceeded by other historical roads. The first European roadway across the Mojave was known as the Old Spanish Trail. The Old Spanish Trail largely incorporated known Anasazi and Paiute pack routes across the desert regions. The Old Spanish Trail was documented in a voyage between Santa Fe and Los Angeles in 1830. This expedition by the Spanish would later be built upon as part of the Mormon Road.
The Mormon Road was scouted by a party led by Jefferson Hunt which was searching for a supply route from Salt Lake City to Southern California through 1847-1848. The Mormon Road ultimately utilized much of the established trade routes of the Old Spanish Trail through the Mojave Desert which took it past the future site of Goodsprings. The Mormon Road was later reorganized and improved into the Los Angeles-Salt Lake Road by 1855 which was capable of facilitating wagon travel.
The Mormon Road between the Mojave River and Las Vegas can be seen on the 1873 Bancroft's map of California and Nevada.
Daggett was founded in 1882 after the finding of silver to the north in Calico. The site of Daggett was located on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and was originally called Calico Junction. The community was renamed after then California Lieutenant Governor John Daggett visited during Spring 1883.
Yermo is one of the original sidings of the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad. Said line was mostly constructed across the Mojave Desert between 1903-1905. The siding of Otis was plotted along the projected railroad corridor in 1902. When the siding obtained Post Office in 1905 it was renamed as "Yermo." The name "Yermo" translated from Spanish means "wilderness" or "wasteland."
Charles H. Bigelow can be seen at what is likely the 1911 Indianapolis 500 behind the wheel of his Mercer race car with his on-board mechanic. Charles H. Bigelow was born on August 26, 1872, in Kilbourne, Illinois and died on June 8, 1958, at Los Angeles, California.
The Arrowhead Trail and Clark County were both excluded from the initial run of State Highways adopted by the Nevada State Legislature in 1917. 1919 Legislation would add the Arrowhead Trail to the State Highway System as parts of Nevada State Routes 6 and 5. Nevada State Routes 6 and 5 can be seen described in detail in the 1919-1920 Nevada Department of Highways Biennial.
Conceptually Nevada State Route 6 was planned to enter California south of Las Vegas by way of the sidings of Jean, Borax and Roach towards Ivanpah Valley. This planned routing can be seen on the 1919 Nevada Department of Highways map.
On December 26, 1920, the Los Angeles Times would report that the Arrowhead Trails Association proposed a major realignment south of Las Vegas known as the "Silver Lake Cutoff." The Silver Lake Cutoff would initially follow Las Vegas Boulevard to Jean, Goodsprings Road to Goodsprings. Within Goodsprings the Arrowhead Trail followed Spring Street, Esmerald Street, Reimann Road and Columbia Mill Road. West of the Goodsprings the Silver Lake Cutoff followed what is now Sandy Valley Road over Columbia Pass and Kingston Road to the California state line near Ripley (now Sandy Valley). The Silver Lake Cutoff within California would branch southward from the Nevada state line via Kingston Road, Winters Pass and Silver Lake towards Daggett. The cutoff ultimately would save approximately 90 miles of travel through the Mojave Desert.
1925 California Legislative Chapter 369 would add the Silver Lake Cutoff north of Barstow and Daggett and an extension of Legislative Route Number 31. The June 1925 California Highways & Public Works reported that the Arrowhead Trail north of Daggett to the Nevada state line was formally under California Division of Highways maintenance.
By October of 1925 the Joint Board on Interstate Highways submitted a final report to the Secretary of the Department Agriculture. Part of the final report regarding the US Route System would be a list of routing points for all purposed US Routes. The full list of the US Routes originally submitted in October of 1925 can be viewed on the link below:
Report of Joint Board on Interstate Highways; October 30th, 1925
While the US Route System submitted in October of 1925 was fairly close to what was implemented in November of 1926 there was some significant differences. The most glaring or "well known" difference is that US Route 60 was planned on the routing which ultimately became US Route 66. Regarding US Route 91 the routing points were clear aside from the southern terminus in the Mojave Desert of California. In the October 1925 report submitted by the Joint Board on Interstate Highways US Route 91 is shown simply as ending at US Route 60:
The US Route System within California was approved by California Highway Commission with no changes recommended which can be seen in the January 1926 California Highways & Public Works. US Route 91 was stated to enter California and end near Needles.
The then new alignment of the Arrowhead Trail and Nevada State Route 6 can be seen on the 1925 Rand McNally Junior Map of Nevada. This map shows proposed US Route 91 following Nevada State Routes 6 and 5 through the state. The US Route System wouldn't be finalized until November 11, 1926, when it was approved by the Secretary of Agriculture. Ultimately US Route 91 follow the entirety of Nevada State Route 6 from the California state line near Jean northeast to the California state line near Mesquite. US Route 91 would initially follow presumptive Nevada State Route 6 through Jean and Goodsprings to the Silver Lake Cutoff at the California state line. Within California the alignment of US Route 91 would be originally carried by Legislative Route Number 31 and the Silver Lake Cutoff to Daggett.
The July 1926 California Highways & Public Works noted the Silver Lake Cutoff portion of the Arrowhead Trail was assumed as part of Legislative Route Number 31 as an exception to standard Division of Highways practices. The article noted the Division of Highways typically would only assume maintenance of a modernized roadway once constructed to state standards. The Silver Lake Cutoff was an exception due to no other direct highway then existing from Barstow/Daggett towards Las Vegas. Division of Highways maintenance operations began on the Silver Lake Cutoff during November 1925.
The 1927 Nevada Department of Highways Biennial reported on the status of construction of US Route 91 south of Jean to the California state line at Ivanpah Valley. The 12.09-mile segment south of Jean was not yet under construction and was pending completion of California's Legislative Route Number 31.
The 1929-1930 Nevada Department of Highways Biennial announced the new alignment of US Route 91/Nevada State Route 6 south of Jean to the California state line was under construction. The segment was anticipated to be completed by Spring 1931.
The November 1929 California Highways & Public Works announced construction of a new alignment of US Route 91 between Barstow and Yermo was underway.
The January 1930 California Highways & Public Works announced the completion of the new alignment of US Route 91 between Yermo and Dunn. Much of this segment contains what is now modern day Yermo Road.
The California State Highway Engineer sent a letter to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) Executive Committee on January 24, 1930, requesting that the south terminus of US Route 91 be relocated from Daggett to Barstow. The existing alignment of US Route 91 between Yermo and Daggett was slated to be relinquished as a State Highway.
Contract bids were let for construction of the new alignment of US Route 91 between Dunn and Cronise Valley were announced in the August 1930 California Highways & Public Works.
A letter sent to the California State Highway Engineer dated November 11, 1930, the AASHO Executive Committee announced the approved changing the terminus of US Route 91 from Daggett to Barstow. The extension of US Route 91 to Barstow was considered during the AASHO Executive Committee meeting on May 25, 1930.
US Route 91 was ultimately relocated over an extension of 1st Avenue in Barstow via the Barstow Overhead. The Barstow Overhead is discussed in detail in the June 1930 California Highways & Public Works. The Barstow Overhead provided a grade separation of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway which US Route 91 previously lacked in Daggett. The Barstow Overhead opened to traffic on April 28, 1930.
The 1932 Nevada Department of Highways map displays US Route 91/Nevada State Route 6 as being complete south of Jean to the California state line in Ivanpah Valley. The map displays US Route 91 following an unclear routing over no known road back to the Silver Lake Cutoff. It is likely at the time that continuation signage for US Route 91 still followed Goodsprings Road and Sandy Valley Road to the California state line.
This National Map Company sectional appears to depict the state of US Route 91 mostly as it was by early 1932 (David Rumsey indicates 1927 but the map shows no date). The full Silver Lake Cutoff is shown carrying US Route 91 from Goodsprings south over the California state line towards Daggett. The constructed portion of Legislative Route Number 31 is shown terminating a short distance from Baker in the vicinity of Halloran Summit. Nevada State Route 6 is shown terminating at the California state line south of Jean and not yet connecting to another highway segment.
The April 1932 California Highways & Public Works reported that US Route 91 was under construction between Halloran Summit and Mountain Pass. The article stub notes after the active project were completed only 21.5 miles of Legislative Route Number 31 were left to modernize. The Halloran Summit-Mountain Pass segment of US Route 91 was completed in 1932 and functionally were the last piece necessary to provide a link to the Nevada state line in Ivanpah Valley. It is unclear why no Division of Highways document goes into greater detail regarding the completion of Legislative Route Number 31 to the Nevada state line. The 1932-1934 Division of Highways Biennium did announce the completion of the segment via a list of contracts.
The June 1932 California Highways & Public Works announced the completion of two new segments of the modernized alignment of US Route 91 during the previous spring season. The first segment was from Cronise Valley east to within six miles of Baker. The second segment was from six miles west of Baker to Halloran Summit.
US Route 91 was joined by a multiplex of US Route 466 between the Nevada State Line southward to the outskirts of Barstow. US Route 466 ultimately would split west from US Route 91 at the outskirts of Barstow towards Tehachapi Pass and did not cross the Barstow Overhead. The first documents acknowledging the existence of US Route 466 in California can be found during October/November 1933 in the AASHO Database.
The 1934 Division of Highways Map of California shows US Route 91 mostly paved and fully graded on Legislative Route Number 31 between Barstow and Baker. Notably US Route 466 did not make an appearance on this map edition.
Ultimately US Route 91 was approved to be extended southward from Barstow to US Route 6 in Long Beach by the AASHO Executive Committee during June of 1947. The extension of US Route 91 to Long Beach was as far as the highway would get before it began to be consumed by the 1964 California State Highway Renumbering and construction of Interstate 15.
In 2012 I took a picture of US Route 95 meeting the former alignment of US Route 66 near Bannock on what had been planned as the south terminus of US Route 91 at US Route 60. Said junction is known today as "Arrowhead Junction" as a reference to the Arrowhead Trail.
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