Santa Fe Grade Road near Firebaugh in Fresno County is an approximately 0.3-mile rural roadway built on a repurposed railroad grade. Santa Fe Grade Road begins at Shaw Avenue and continues northwest as a public highway to the end of the asphalt. The grade was constructed by the San Francisco & San Joaquin Railroad during the 1880s but was found to be consistently flood prone. The grade was later sold to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1898 which later abandoned it to Fresno County. Part 1; the history of Santa Fe Grade Road The origin of Santa Fe Grade Road lies in the 1880s when San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley Railroad president Claus Spreckels was attempting to acquire right-of-way. Spreckels' line was in competition with the Southern Pacific Railroad to build a line in western San Joaquin Valley. Any prospective westside line would have to cross the properties owned by the so-called "Cattle King of California" Henry Miller....
Because every road has a story.