Skip to main content

Lonoak Road

By
This past January I was traveling home from the King City area of Monterey County.  Looking for something a little different I took Lonoak Road across the Gabilan Range to Lonoak of Peach Tree Valley.


Lonoak Road is an approximately 14 mile roadway which connects County Route G15 on 1st Street (former US Route 101) of King City to the ghost town of Lonoak at CA 25.  Lonoak Road begins in Monterey County and dips into San Benito County before terminating in Monterey County near Lonoak.  Much of Lonoak follows the course of San Lorenzo Creek.  San Lorenzo Creek for reference is the Monterey/San Benito County Line until the confluence with Lewis Creek.



Part 1; the backstory of Lonoak Road

Peach Tree Valley lies on atop the San Andreas Fault at the confluence of San Lorenzo Creek and Lewis Creek.  The fortunate confluence of San Lorenzo Creek and Lewis Creek made it an ideal locale for ranching.  The prospects of profitable ranch lands led to the settlement of the small community known as Lonoak.  Lonoak was important enough that it warranted Post Office Service by 1885.  It was likely sometime around when Lonoak was settled that the namesake road to King City was constructed.  King City had been settled in 1884 as a large ranching community and by 1886 it had a stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The outgrowth of the ranching of the King City Area no doubt played a contributing factor in the development of Lonoak and Lonoak Road.  Lonoak and Lonoak Road both appear on the 1917 California State Automobile Association Map.



Part 2; a drive on Lonoak Road

My approach to Lonoak Road was from northbound 1st Street/G15 in King City.  Lonoak Road begins with a right hand turn over the Union Pacific rails.




Lonoak Road begins as a conventional two-lane road within Monterey County.  Lonoak Road eastbound from 1st Street begins to rapidly approach the foothills of the Gabilan Range.  While mountain roads in Monterey County don't carry Post Miles like San Benito County they often have mileage markers (mile marker 3.0) like the one that can be seen in the last photo below.






Lonoak Road winds through the Gablian Range for several miles before crossing San Lorenzo Creek into San Benito County.

























Upon entering San Benito County Lonoak Road begins a single-lane roadway.  Lonoak Road is maintained as San Benito County Road 152.  Lonoak Road begins to traverse somewhat steep canyons alongside San Lorenzo Creek.



Lonoak Road eastbound follows San Lorenzo Creek for several miles before branching off towards Lewis Creek.















Lonoak Road eastbound approaches Lewis Creek, expands to two-lanes again, and reenters Monterey County.  Upon reentering Monterey County the route of Lonoak Road ends in what is left of Lonoak at CA 25/Peach Tree Road.  Of note; there is a pile of crashed antique cars in Lewis Creek which can be partially seen in the second photo below.  Also of interest; CA 25 was moved to Peach Tree Road in 1955 and previously followed Lewis Creek Road.  Interestingly Post Office Service in Lonoak ended in 1954 right before the community would end up on a State Highway. 





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yes, the color of your nearby fire hydrant matters...

By
...and here's why. You will find White, Red, Yellow and Violet colored fire hydrants pretty much everywhere.  But there's a reason for this - and it's because of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  This association has issued guidelines for color coding standards for fire hydrants.  These color codes from the body of the hydrant, top of the hydrant, and in some municipalities the outlet caps are designed to allow fire fighters to know what type of system, water flow rate (Gallons Per Minute or GPM), and level of water pressure.  This guideline is known as NFPA 291 and is intended to be used universally throughout the United States. The NFPA guidelines are specific to the body and the top cap of the hydrant.  If a hydrant is WHITE or YELLOW - it means that it is connected to a public/municipal water system.  If a hydrant is RED - the hydrant is connected to a private system, typically a well.  These are most common in rural or unincorporated areas
1 comment
Read more

Legend of the Ridge Route; a history of crossing the mountains between the Los Angeles Basin and San Joaquin Valley from wagon trails to Interstates

By
Over the past two decades I've crossed the Interstate 5 corridor from Los Angeles north over the Sierra Pelona Mountains and Tehachapi Range to San Joaquin Valley what seems to be an immeasurable number of times.  While Interstate 5 from Castaic Junction to Grapevine via Tejon Pass today is known to most as "The Grapevine" it occupies a corridor which has been traversed by numerous historic highways.  The most notable of these highways is known as the "Ridge Route."  This article is dedicated to the Ridge Route and the various highways that preceded it.  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 Ridge Route corridor introdution The Ridge Route as originally envisioned was a segment of highway which was completed in 1915 between the northern Los Angeles city limit
1 comment
Read more

Establishing the numbering conventions of California's chargeable Interstates

By
The Federal Highway Aid Act of 1956 brought the Interstate Highway System into existence which would largely be constructed by Federal Highway Administration fund matching.  The Interstate Highway System was deliberately numbered to run opposite the established conventions of the US Route System.  While the Interstate Highway numbering conventions are now well established there was a period during the late 1950s where they were still being finalized.  This blog examines the history of the establishing of the chargeable Interstate Highway route numbers in California.  The above blog cover depicts the Interstate Highway route numbers requested by the Division of Highways in the Los Angeles area during November 1957.  The establishment of the numbering conventions of California's chargeable Interstates The Interstate Highway System was not created in a vacuum by way of the passage of the 1956 Federal Highway Aid Act.  The beginning of the Interstate Highway System can be found in the
1 comment
Read more