Skip to main content

Silver Bar Road (Mariposa County)

By

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. 

































Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

By
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism.  Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns.  Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s.  Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center.  When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond.  It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley.  Thu...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tale of Tollhouse Road, western California State Route 168 and failed Piute Pass Highway

By
Western California State Route 168 is entirely located in Fresno County and is linked historically to the Tollhouse Road corridor.   Tollhouse Road is one of the oldest highways in the Sierra Nevada range of Fresno County. The corridor presently begins in at Clovis Avenue in downtown Clovis and extends northeast to Huntington Lake. In 1866 the Woods Brothers established mining claims on Pine Ridge. In 1867 Fresno County would grant the brothers a toll franchise to construct a roadway to the desirable logging areas atop Pine Ridge and near Dinkey Creek. The Woods would establish a tollhouse at the start of their franchise road and lumber mill. The lumber mill attracted settlers which led to the establishment of the mountain town of Tollhouse. Fresno County would purchase the Tollhouse Road in 1878 and make it a public highway. The county would remove the tolls and incorporate the corridor into the existing county road network. Prior to the establishment of Clovis in 1...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 73

By
California State Route 73 is 21 mile limited access highway aligned over the Corona del Mar Freeway and San Joaquin Hills Toll Road.  California State Route 73 connects Interstate 5 near San Juan Capistrano westward to Interstate 405 in Costa Mesa.  Prior to the construction of the Corona del Mar Freeway and San Joaquin Hills Tollway California State Route 73 was a surface highway located on largely MacArthur Boulevard. Part 1; the history of California State Route 73 What became California State Route 73 ("CA 73") entered the State Highway System in 1933 as Legislative Route Number 184 ("LRN 184").  LRN 184 was given the following route definition: "LRN 60 near Corona Del Mar to Santa Ana via Main Street" LRN 184 was announced in the April 1933 California Highways & Public Works .   LRN 184 appears for the first time on the  1934 Division of Highways Map .   LRN 184 appears under State Maintenance from US Route 101/LRN 2 in Santa Ana south ...
Post a Comment
Read more