Madera County Road 612 (Hartman Cutoff Road)

Madera County Road 612 is a dirt surfaced rural highway located northeast of Raymond in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The roadway begins at Road 415 (formerly Raymond Road) near the site the Knowles and follows a 7.6-mile winding course to Road 600 (Grub Gulch Road) near the site of the mining town of Grub Gulch. Road 612 was historically known as the Hartman Cutoff Road prior to Madera County dropping road names in favor of the current numbering system. The corridor was developed as shortcut as a shortcut between the communities of Knowles and Grub Gulch.

Part 1; the history of Road 612

What is now Madera County Road 612 was developed as Hartman Cutoff Road between town site of Knowles near the Raymond Granite Quarry and the mining town of Grub Gulch. Hartman Cutoff Road provided easier access between Knowles-Grub Gulch which didn't require traffic detour back to the Yosemite Stage Road (now Road 600).

Grub Gulch developed after the opening of the Gambetta Mine in 1880. Grub Gulch obtained Post Office service during 1883 and reportedly may have had a population as high as 5,000 residents.

During 1886 the Raymond town site was plotted along the then new alignment of the Washburn Brothers Yosemite Stage Road. The Yosemite Stage Road became popular enough that it drew attention of the Southern Pacific Railroad for the development of a spur line out of Berenda. Raymond was founded as Wild Cat Station and was the north terminus of the San Joaquin Valley & Yosemite Railroad which was opened by the Southern Pacific Railroad in February 1886.

The San Joaquin Valley & Yosemite Railroad received its first passengers by March of 1886 and the community of Wild Cat Station became a popular trailhead for stages heading to the Wawona Hotel and Yosemite National Park. Post Office was established in July of 1886 and the community's name was changed to Raymond. The name Raymond was chosen due to the community frequently being the used to ship materials from the nearby Raymond Granite Quarry. The quarry site was previously known as Ducy's Rock Pile and had come under the ownership of Fredrick Erwin Knowles during the mid-1880s.

The Knowles property soon began to develop into a standalone mining community. A schoolhouse was constructed near the Raymond Granite Quarry during 1891. The Knowles school would begin to be operated by Fresno County in 1892 and the district would be transferred when Madera County was split in 1893. During 1899 the Raymond Granite Company constructed the "Knowles Spur" from the San Joaquin Valley & Yosemite Railroad. By 1902 the community of Knowles obtained Post Office service.

Hartman Cutoff Road can be seen on the 1914 Madera County Surveyor's map. The road is shown to originate at Raymond Road (now Road 415) in Township 8S, Range 19E and end at Grub Gulch Road (now Road 600) in Township 7S, Range 20E. The roadway is shown to be mostly aligned over a ridge largely bounded by Willow Creek, North Fork Willow Creek and Spangle Gold Creek.

During the middle of the twentieth century Madera County would drop road names in favor of a numbering system. Hartman Cutoff Road would subsequently be reassigned as a Road 612.

Part 2; a drive on Road 612

The northbound beginning of Road 612 can be found along Road 415.

Road 612 is comprised entirely as a dirt surfaced highway. The northbound roadway crosses a 1973-era bridge over Willow Creek.

Northbound Road 612 passes through a relatively flat area and reaches the beginning of an included climb.

Road 612 climbs through a series of small winding switchbacks and ascends to the top of a ridge located approximately 2,000 feet above sea level. The roadway passes by numerous private land parcels before reaching an intersection with Spangle Gold Road.