Skip to main content

Rock Creek Road (Calaveras County)

By

Rock Creek Road is a 14.6-mile rural highway located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras County.  The corridor begins at California State Route 4 near Main Street in Copperopolis and extends west to County Route J14 (Milton Road) in Milton via Salt Spring Valley. 

Rock Creek Road is one of the oldest highways in Calaveras County.  The roadway came into common use during the 1850s to service the Madam Felix Mining District and early Salt Spring Valley Reservoir.  In 1871 the corridor would begin to service stages departing the terminus of the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad in Milton.  Rock Creek Road would remain a major county highway through the 1930s until the railroad feeding it freight traffic went defunct in 1940. 




Part 1; the history of Rock Creek Road

Much of Rock Creek Road passes through Salt Springs Valley.  The valley was part of the Madam Felix Mining District which had sparse success for gold mining operators beginning in the 1850s.  The towns of Hodson and Felix were accessible via stage road which followed Rock Creek east of Stockton.  In 1857-1858 the valley would be first dammed by William H. Hanford as it was found it be more useful for cattle grazing.  

The Royal Mill at Hobson can be seen in an undated photo from the Calaveras County Historical Society.  Hobson was located approximately a mile west of Rock Creek Road on Littlejohn Creek.  


Copperopolis was founded in 1860 by William K. Reed, Dr. Allen Blatchly and Thomas McCarty.  The claims at Copperopolis were the second major copper strike in Calaveras County after those found at Telegraph City.  By 1862 William K. Reed sold his interests in the Union Mine and constructed the namesake Reeds Turnpike to Stockton.  This roadway would remain a franchise toll road until 1865 when it became a public highway.  Reeds Turnpike would later be used as a basis for much of early California State Route 4 between Stockton and Copperopolis.  

Reeds Turnpike turned out to be insufficient to haul copper ore from Copperopolis.  This led to the incorporation of the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad in October 1865.  By 1871 what the line reached what was intended to be a temporary terminus in Milton.  From Milton stages would depart east to Copperopolis along Rock Creek Road.  The railroad was planned to be extended to Copperopolis but never extended east of Milton. 

The 1873 Bancroft's Map of California displays the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad extended (as planned) to Copperopolis via Rock Creek in error.  The Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad operated as an independent entity until 1874 when it was leased to the Central Pacific Railroad.  The line was fully acquired by the Central Pacific in 1885 and was consolidated into the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1888. 


In 1880 the Salt Spring Valley Reservoir would be expanded which likely made any railroad extension to Copperopolis far more difficult.  The Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad can be seen terminating at Milton and the beginning of Rock Creek Road on the 1882 Bancroft's Map of California.  


Rock Creek Road can be seen extending from Milton to Copperopolis on the 1914 C.F. Weber Map of Calaveras County.  The map displays the small community of Towers which is more commonly known as "Felix." 


The 1935 Division of Highways Map of Calaveras County shows Rock Creek Road (dotted line) as a major local highway.  California State Route 4 (solid red line) can be seen following the former Reeds Turnpike (adopted in 1931 as Legislative Route Number 75) to the south.  The Rock Creek Bridge found currently along Rock Creek Road near Milton would be constructed in 1936. 



The Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad would be abandoned by 1940 which would lead to a decline in Milton.  Usage of Rock Creek Road would plummet as it became far practical to use California State Route 4 to reach Copperopolis.  Post Office service in Milton closed in 1941 and the community has become a near ghost town.  



Part 2; a drive on Rock Creek Road

The photo tour in this section begins at the terminus of westbound Felix Road at Rock Creek Road.  


Rock Creek Road west of Felix Road is two lanes to the Salt Spring Valley Reservoir Campground.  The earthen Salt Spring Valley Dam is the same earthen structure which has been in use since 1880.  

















Rock Creek Road follows the course of the namesake creek as a one lane road through Long Gulch.  The roadway emerges onto the 1936 Rock Creek Bridge approaching Milton.  
































Rock Creek Road terminates at Milton Road (County Route J14) in the community of Milton.  











The site of the Keystone Lodge can be found at Milton Road and Green Street which was once the terminus of the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad.  The Keystone Lodge was built in during the copper boom in Copperopolis during 1862 and was moved to Milton in 1881.  It is unclear when the Keystone Lodge disappeared given the plaque discussing the history of the structure was erected during 1962.




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more