Skip to main content

Blackie Road (Monterey County)

By

Blackie Road is an approximately five-mile highway located in Monterey County.  The corridor originates at US Route 101 in Prunedale and terminates to the west at California State Route 183 in Castroville.  Blackie Road was the original road which connected the communities of Castroville and Prunedale.  The corridor was bypassed in 1933 when Legislative Route 22 was extended from Prunedale west Castroville via San Miguel Canyon Road and Castroville Boulevard. 




Part 1; the history of Blackie Road

Blackie Road is the original highway corridor which served as the connection between Prunedale and Castroville.  The corridor can be seen east of Castroville extending to the future site of Prunedale at San Miguel Canyon on the 1882 Bancroft's map of California.  


Castroville was founded in 1863 off of land that was part of Rancho Bolsa Nueva y Moro Cojo.  Castroville would gain importance when it became a siding of the Southern Pacific Railroad during the 1870s.  While the community of Castroville was largely always centered around agriculture it has come to be known as the Artichoke Center of the World.  Artichokes have been planted in Castroville since 1922 which has come to be what the community is most known for.  Between 1959 to 2009 Castroville was host to the Castroville Artichoke Festival (which has moved to the Monterey County Fairgounds). 

Prunedale was founded near the junction of San Migeul Canyon, Langley Canyon and Echo Valley.  Watsonville settler Charles Langley (namesake of Langley Canyon) was one of the prominent early community settlers.  The Prunedale Post Office would open for the first time in 1894 but would close by 1908.  Early agriculture in the area consisted of Plum Trees which failed due to a lack of irrigation.  

Blackie Road was bypassed in 1933 when Legislative Route Number 22 was extended from Prunedale west to Castroville.  The initial State Highway alignment of the State Highway followed San Miguel Canyon Road and Castroville Boulevard.  The current two-lane expressway occupied by California State Route 156 would be completed in 1944.  



Part 2; a drive on Blackie Road

Pictured below southbound Prunedale Road can be seen interesting Blackie Road.  


Westbound Blackie Road ascends the waning hills of the Gabilan Range and descends into the Castroville city limit.  




























Blackie Road terminates at California State Route 183 (Merritt Street) in Castroville.  







Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Did I miss it? What was the origin of the name Blackie Road?
12:18 PM
Challenger Tom said…
You didn’t miss it. I never found anything concrete which overtly explained the name. Conjecture I’ve heard says it has something to do with the artichoke crops. I was hoping would give me the answer so I could update this blog.
10:17 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. 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 Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more