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East Westfall Road (Mariposa County)

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East Westfall Road is an approximately four-mile rural cutoff located in Mariposa County.  This corridor was commissioned in 1895 as a direct link between Triangle Road southeast to Chowchilla Mountain Road at the property of Joe Westfall.  While seemingly obvious it isn't clear exactly who East Westfall Road is named after.  Amusingly Fremont Westfall who namesake of West Westfall Road was known to have resided for a time next to Joe Westfall along what is now modern East Westfall Road.  




Part 1; the history of East Westfall Road

On May 7, 1895, W.B. Duncan would petition the Mariposa County Board of Supervisor to construct what is now East Westfall Road.  The corridor was intended to begin at the property of Joe Westfall at the road to Wawona (Chowchilla Mountain Road) and terminate at the road to Darrah and Snow Creek (Triangle Road).


Joe Westfall's property was located next to the residence of Fremont Westfall.  It is unclear if the two were related as the Mariposa County genealogy report contradicts itself.  Joe appears to have for a time have at the very least employed Fremont. 

Unlike East Westfall Road the namesake for West Westfall Road is clearer as it was named for Fremont Westfall.  Westfall was born in Kansas in 1861 and would later move to the Mariposa area in 1882.  Westfall was mostly known for supplying the Grub Gulch mine in what is now Madera County and raising cattle in the White Rock area.  It is highly likely East Westfall Road was named in honor of Joe Westfall given Fremont was far more for his ranching endeavors. 

East Westfall Road can be seen branching northwest (blue pin) of Chowchilla Mountain Road on the 1912 United States Geological Survey map of Mariposa.  Clark's Mill is shown to have once been present on East Westfall Road. 




Part 2; a drive on East Westfall Road 

Westbound East Westfall Road (yes, that is a mouthful) begins at Chowchilla Mountain Road.


The two-lane asphalt surface on East Westfall Road gives way to dirt a short distance from Chowchilla Mountain Road.  










The dirt segment of East Westfall Road is winding but largely with minimal gradients.  The dirt segment appears to have been top layered over an asphalt surface which is something of a rarity for Mariposa County. 











East Westfall Road resumes a second asphalt segment which continues to Triangle Road.  






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