Skip to main content

Bonds Flat Road

By

Bonds Flat Road is an approximately six-mile highway in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Tuolumne County near La Grange.  The roadway crosses New Don Pedro Dam and was opened to traffic in 1971 following completion of said structure.  The corridor begins at La Grange Road (County Route J59) and terminates at California State Route 132.  




Part 1; the history of Bonds Flat Road

Bonds Flat Road was constructed as part of the New Don Pedro Dam project.  The roadway is one of the pieces of nearby infrastructure not named after the famed California Gold Rush figure Don Pedro Sainevain.  An undated public domain photo of Sainsevain can be seen below.  


Sainsevain was born on November 20, 1818, in Béguey, France.  He would arrive in Santa Barbara of then Mexican Alta California during July 1839.  Sainsevian was a carpenter by trade and was sent to find his uncle in Los Angeles.  He would initially settle near downtown Los Angeles where he became a prominent figure in the coastal wine industry.  

Through the 1840s Sainsevain would diversify his business interests by way of becoming involved sawmills, flour mills, ship building and mining.  In 1848 would visit Coloma in the buildup to the larger California Gold Rush and would establish Don Pedro Bar on the banks of the Tuolumne River.  In 1849 Sainsevain would soon divest of his mining interests and would move to Stockton where he found a profitable business selling wine to Gold Rush miners.  

Sainsevian would be later involved in the construction of California's first State House and was a delegate at the California Constitutional Convention in Monterey.  He would remain successful in the California wine industry until leaving the state for France in 1883 following the death of his wife.  Sainsevain would die in France on October 4, 1904.  

Don Pedro Bar can be seen along the Tuolumne River northeast of La Grange on the 1873 Bancroft's map of California.  The original Don Pedro Road is shown along both sides of the Tuolumne River.


The site of Don Pedro Bar can be seen on the 1893 United States Geological Survey map of Sonora.  Don Pedro Road is shown to cross the Tuolumne River and connect to what is now Granite Springs Road.


The site of Don Pedro Bar would later be submerged during construction of Don Pedro Dam.  The original arch concrete dam was built near the town site along the Tuolumne River by the Modesto Irrigation District.  The dam was complete by 1924 and is 283 feet high. 

The original Don Pedro Dam can be seen in a 1925 era public domain photo.  


The 1935 Division of Highways map of Tuolumne County displays the completed Don Pedro Reservoir.  The dam site is shown to be accessible via road branching east from La Grange Road to Buzzards Point (now called Don Pedro Road on modern maps).  


In 1961 bonds were issued to expand the existing Don Pedro Reservoir.  The expansion required a new dam to be constructed downstream from the existing arch concrete structures.  After delays construction of the New Don Pedro Dam would commence with the spillways on August 29, 1967.  The new dam was an embankment design which topped out on May 28, 1970.  Old Don Pedro Dam was covered by rising waters on April 12, 1970.  

New Don Pedro Dam would be completed and dedicated in 1971.  The structure is 585 feet high and has length of 1,900 feet.  The embankment dam shas an installed 203-Megawatt Capacity.  Bonds Flat Road was constructed as an access road to the then new structure.  The roadway also served as a cutoff from La Grange Road (County Route J59) to California State Route 132. 




Part 2; a drive on Bonds Flat Road

Eastbound Bonds Flat Road begins at La Grange Road.  


Eastbound Bonds Flat Road passes the Blue Oaks Recreation Area and then over the Lake Don Pedro Spillway.  






Bonds Flat Road crosses over the top of New Don Pedro Dam.  Signage directs (and impedes) traffic not to stop on top of the dam.  







East of the dam Bonds Flat Road passes Fleming Recreation Area and terminates at California State Route 132.  








Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

By
After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...
4 comments
Read more

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

By
  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

By
  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...
Post a Comment
Read more