Silver Bar Road is seven-mile loop of Ben Hur Road in the Sierra Nevada foothills southern Mariposa County. This mostly dirt surface rural corridor is named after the Silver Bar Mine which once located in the vicinity of Lookout Mountain. John Hite was known to have petitioned the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors to construct a roadway local silver mines in 1885 but was met with rejection. Nonetheless modern Silver Bar Road appears on maps shortly after Hite's petition.
Part 1; the history of Silver Bar Road
Silver Bar Road is named after the Silver Bar Mine. The historic location of the Silver Bar Mine location is not fully clear other than it was located a short distance from Lookout Mountain northeast of the community of Ben Hur. The Silver Bar Mine and Silver Lane Mine are the only two known significant silver strikes within Mariposa County. Numerous modern mining claims filed as "Silver Bar" are centered around property near the intersection of Old Oak Road and Ashworth Road.
Ben Hur itself was a small community was had been established in 1859 by Morgan Quick and originally was known as Rancheria Place. The ranch at what became Ben Hur was owned and operated by the Quick family of Mariposa County for six generations. Post Office service would operate in the community from 1890-1902 and 1904-1951. The community's name is a reference to the 1880 novel Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
Wealthy Mariposa County resident John Hite filed for a petition to the Board of Supervisors to construct a public highway to the silver mining region near Becknell's corral (namesake of Becknell Creek) during July 1885. The Board of Supervisors would deny this petition in August 1885.
Silver Bar Road does appear as a loop of Ben Hur Road on the 1912 United States Geological Survey map of Mariposa (terminus points marked by blue pins). Silver Bar Road is shown to pass by the lands of Larew Ranch a short distance south of Lookout Mountain. Becknell Creek is originating near the southern terminus of Silver Bar Road.
Silver Bar Road is shown (Township 6 South, Range 18 East) as a minor loop of Ben Hur Road on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Mariposa County.
Part 2; a drive on Silver Bar Road
Southbound Silver Bar Road begins as a surfaced highway at Ben Hur Road in the Mormon Bar area.
Southbound Silver Bar Road becomes a dirt highway a short distance past Dusty Oak Road.
Silver Bar Road passes east of Lookout Mountain and intersects Ashworth Road.
Southbound Silver Bar Road continues as a dirt highway through several rural ranching properties and reaches a terminus at Ben Hur Road a short distance from the site of Ben Hur ghost town.
Comments