Yountville is a city located in Napa Valley along California State Route 29. When the highway was commissioned in 1934 it originally passed through the community via Washington Street. Yountville would be bypassed during 1959 when the first two lanes of the St. Helena Highway were completed. The current freeway grade of California State Route 29 in Yountville was built over the original alignment of the Napa Valley Railroad. Pictured as the blog cover is the 1888 Southern Pacific Railroad Depot which can be found on Washington Street.
California State Route 29 can be seen passing through Yountville via Washington Street below on the 1942 United States Geological Survey map of Sonoma.
Part 1; the history of California State Route 29 in Yountville
During the Mexican period of Alta California, the land which Yountville in Napa Valley now occupies was granted to George C. Yount in 1836. Yount called his holdings Caymus Rancho which was named after a local tribe. Following the Mexican-American War what was Alta California became the American State of California. The previous Mexican land grants were subsequently honored by the state of California and Federal government.
During 1855 Yount would plot and subdivide a six-block town site known as Sebastopol. The town would be renamed to "Yountville" in 1867 following the death of George C. Yount (in 1865). During 1868 the Napa Valley Railroad line reached Yountville. Yountville can be seen as the Napa Valley Railroad on an 1869 flyer.
The Napa Valley Railroad would be sold via foreclosure to the California Pacific Railroad during June 1869. During 1876 the California Pacific Railroad lines were sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Southern Pacific Railroad would construct the current depot building in Yountville in 1888.
State Highway Service would come to Yountville in 1933 when Legislative Route Number 49 (LRN 49) was extended from Calistoga south to LRN 8 in Napa. LRN 49 was aligned through Yountville via Washington Street and would be announced as a component of California State Route 29 in the August 1934 California Highways & Public Works.
California State Route 29 can be seen passing through Yountville via Washington Street below on the 1942 United States Geological Survey map of Sonoma.
The March/April 1955 California Highways & Public Works announced the California Highway Commission (CHC) had adopted an extension of the Napa Bypass freeway corridor. The new corridor was (adopted August 25, 1954) planned to extend from northern Napa to one mile south of Yountville.
The November/December 1957 California Highways & Public Works announced a freeway realignment of California State Route 29 bypassing Yountville was budgeted for the 1958-59 Fiscal Year. The bypass of Yountville was planned initially as a two-lane freeway with enough right-of-way for a four-lane expansion.
The March/April 1959 California Highways & Public Works announced the Yountville bypass was presently under construction.
The March/April 1960 California Highways & Public Works announced the Yountville bypass was complete during July 1959.
Yountville would incorporate as a city on February 4, 1965. The Yountville bypass would be eventually expanded to four-lanes using the structures constructed in 1959.
Part 2; exploring former California State Route 29 along Washington Street in Yountville
The Yountville Railroad Depot can be found at 6509 Washington Street. The structure is still located where it was originally constructed but is now removed from connecting to a rail grade. The tracks of the Napa Valley Railroad were relocated west of the California State Route 29 freeway when it was being constructed. The Napa Valley Wine Train which operates on relocates tracks does not stop in Yountville.
The Southern Pacific Railroad marque on the depot building displays it as being sixty four miles from San Francisco.
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