Peterson Road is an approximately six-mile rural highway in the Pineridge area of Fresno County. The highway is one of the oldest in the Pineridge area having been constructed in the late 1860s to service the site of Peterson Mill. This corridor was heavily impacted by the 2020 Creek Fire which caused massive amounts of property damage in the Pineridge area. As presently configured Peterson Road begins at Tollhouse Road (former California State Route 168) and extends east to Big Creek Road (Sierra National Forest Route 9).
Part 1; the history of Peterson Road
Peterson Road is named after the Peterson Mill which located at eastern end of the roadway in the Pineridge area. The road to Peterson Mill began at the Tollhouse Road and extended approximately six miles east to the mill site near Rush Creek. The mill can be seen below in operation during the late 1880s (courtesy Eastern Fresno County Historical Society).
Peterson Road can be seen branching east of Tollhouse Road on the 1892 Thompson Atlas of Fresno County in Range 24 East, Township 10 South. The Peterson Mill site is shown to be then on the property of Smith & McCardle.
According to 1941 era book titled A Sawmill History of Sierra National Forest (Page 34) what became Peterson Mill was erected in 1867 by Humphrey & Mock who hauled construction materials up the partially completed Tollhouse Road. The Tollhouse Road corridor itself would not be fully extended to Pineridge until 1868. The initial mill operated until 1872 and appears to have been sold off several times.
Peterson Mill can be seen at the eastern terminus of Peterson Road on the 1904 United States Geological Survey map of Kaiser Pass. The mill is shown to be located at a flat approximately 4,500 feet above sea level. The mill is shown to be also connected to the Cressman's General Store (which opened in 1904) at Pineridge via what is now Cressman Road.
The logging road east of Peterson Mill connected to the site of Bretz Mill. This corridor was extended down Big Creek to Trimmer Springs Road in 1936 following completion of a highway bridge. This corridor is now known as Big Creek Road and Sierra National Forest Route 9. Peterson Road remains completely maintained by Fresno County in modern times despite largely being located in National Forest lands.
The Peterson Road corridor was heavily impacted by the 2020 Creek Fire. Said fire began on September 4th and would burn approximately 589 square miles before being declared fully contained by December 24th. A large percentage of homes along Peterson Road burned are in the process of being rebuilt.
Part 2; a drive on Peterson Road
Westbound Peterson Road begins at the terminus of Big Creek Road. The Big Creek Road terminus is located at Y-junction which begins both Peterson Road and Cressman Road.
After about two miles Peterson Road begins to enter residential areas. Traffic is advised the road ahead consists of four miles of curves.
Peterson Road passes through residential properties impacted by the Creek Fire and terminates at Tollhouse Road. Tollhouse Road would serve as California State Route 168 from August 1934 until the mid-1970s.
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