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Algerine Road (Tuolumne County)

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Algerine Road is a 4.4 mile mostly single lane rural highway located in Tuolumne County.  The corridor of Algerine Road begins at Jacksonville Road near the outskirts of Jamestown and terminates at the intersection of Twist Road and Algerine-Wards Ferry Road.  

Algerine Road is named after the 1853-era mining community of Algerine.  Said mining community was located along Algerine Road at Curtis Creek.  The mines at Algerine were known for hydraulic processing of gold ore which rapidly depleted in the early California Gold Rush.  Algerine Road once served as the most direct highway between Jamestown and the Tuolumne River crossing at Wards Ferry.  In 1925 a single-lane tee beam bridge was installed at Curtis Creek near the former Algerine town site.  




The history of Algerine Road

Algerine Road is named after the ghost town of Algerine (alternatively Algerine Camp).  The Algerine mining camp was located approximately two miles from the town of Curtisville (namesake of Curtis Creek) and was founded in May 1853.  Algerine was most well-known for a hydraulic ditch which was used to process profitable amounts of gold ore.  The community was short lived and was comprised of mostly temporary structures.  Despite the town site largely being abandoned relatively early into the California Gold Rush the Algerine Ditch still appears on modern maps.  

Algerine was described in the 1882 book titled "A history of Tuolumne County."



Algerine Road was developed not only to serve the namesake community but also as a cutoff between Jamestown and Wards Ferry.  Algerine Road is shown as a major highway on the 1882 Bancroft's map of California.  The map also displays the location of Algerine Camp along Curtis Creek.  


Algerine and Algerine Road both appear in detail on the 1893 United States Geological Survey map of Sonora.  Despite being long defunct the community still appears on modern United States Geological Survey maps. 


In 1925 a concrete tee beam bridge was constructed Curtis Creek where the community of Algerine once stood.  This one-lane structure is one of the few pieces of evidence of the former mining community and once important status Algerine Road had as a connector to the Tuolumne River crossing at Wards Ferry.  






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Tom Kenney said…
I was riding my bicycle today, Groveland->Ward's Ferry->Sonora and back, and I passed over a concrete bridge on Old Ward's Ferry Road upstream on Curtis Creek, dated to 1914. This is near La Bella Rosa Vineyards. I snapped a couple pics, can send you links (pbase.com) if you'd like.

Thanks for doing the Tuolumne/Mariposa stuff. I've recently relocated, and it's a great reference.
11:00 PM
Challenger Tom said…
Might want to keep that bridge on Old Wards Ferry Road for this Friday. That is the next California road we have up on our publishing list.
11:26 PM
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