i'm looking for road maps of southern california around the years 1958 to 65. i am beginning to explore the the areas from barstow to st george and would like to research the roads transition into the I-15. i noticed the history on this road is not highly documented like other roads. i have had no luck finding anything online. any help would be appreciated
Welcome to the forum.
The oldest road along this path was the Mojave Road (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Road). It was mainly a military road used up to around the 1870s and went from Fort Mohave (http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/fortmohave.html) in Nevada (just across the Colorado River near Bullhead City (http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=35.04628&lon=-114.62789&datum=nad83&zoom=4&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=l)) to Barstow. The old road still exists and can be driven with a high clearance vehicle.
The US 91 route was originally called the Arrowhead Trail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowhead_Trail_(auto_trail)) in the days before US numbered highways. It went from Salt Lake to Los Angeles. However, it originally did not go straight from Las Vegas to Barstow. Instead the early route dropped down the path of US 95 via Searchlight to hit the National Old Trails Road, later the early path of US 66. In the 1920s the members of the Automobile Club of Southern California in the area had an expedition to find a more direct route between Las Vegas and Barstow. There were a few possibilities. I have a copy of the article about it from Touring Topics (now called Westways). The 1925 Rand McNally atlas shows a road going to Daggett rather than Barstow. This is the "Silver Lake Cutoff." The path was definitely settled by 1930. I have scans of 1930 and 1933 Automobile Club of Southern California strip maps for the Arrowhead Trail which show the path of US 91 in fairly good detail.
WOW....THAT'S SOME GREAT INFORMATION. ANY CHANCE FOR SOME SCANS OF YOUR AUTO TRAIL MAPS??
THIS PART OF U.S. 91 IS OFF OF SR170/RIVERSIDE RD.APPROX 13 MILES SOUTH OF MESQUITE.. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, YOU CAN SEE THE I-15 IN THE BACKGROUND
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11006.jpg)
LOOKING SOUTH ON U.S. 91.....SR 170 IS ALSO AN ORIGINAL ALIGNMENT OF U.S. 91
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11005.jpg)
ACCORDING TO U.S. ROAD MAPS. THIS PART OF U.S. 91 HAS BEEN BYPASSED SINCE 1955
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11004.jpg)
LARGE PARTS OF THE ROAD HAS BEEN WASHED OUT. IT IS STILL PASSABLE THOUGH. JUST WITH CAUTION
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11008.jpg)
NICELY MAINTAINED BRIDGE ON COUNTY 91 IN ARIZONA. BETWEEN MESQUITE AND LITTLEFIELD
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11009.jpg)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11010.jpg)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11017.jpg)
JUST INTO THE UTAH BORDER FROM ARIZONA. TWO ABANDONED CLASSICS GETTING CRUSHED AND BURIED BY THE WASH
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11011.jpg)
THIS ONE APPEARS TO BE A 49 OR 50 FORD. THE GRILL IS ALREADY BURIED
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11012.jpg)
I'M GUESSING ABOUT A 1951 HUDSON ON THIS ONE
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11016.jpg)
U.S. 91 IN GOOD CONDITION
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11020.jpg)
SMALL SETTLEMENT JUST WITHIN THE UTAH BORDER, HAS BARS ON THE WINDOWS...JAIL MAYBE??
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11019.jpg)
REMAINS OF EARLY SETTLEMENT
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/11018.jpg)
HEADING SOUTH TO BAKER. STARTING AT THE CIMA TURN OFF FOLLOWING ARROWHEAD TRAIL
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z.jpg)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z1.jpg)
SOMETHING USED TO BE HERE....NOT SURE WHAT IT WAS THOUGH
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z4.jpg)
ABANDONED RANCH WITH ALMOST NO TRACES. MARK BY THIS MARKER AND A LARGE TREE
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z3.jpg)
ANTIQUE JUNK
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z6.jpg)
COOL JUNK PILES
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z7.jpg)
DRIVING SOUTH INTO BAKER
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z22.jpg)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/v23.jpg)
ALL WOOD BRIDGE. IT DOESN'T LOOK IN VERY GOOD CONDITION EITHER
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z19.jpg)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z21.jpg)
HEADING SOUTH FROM BAKER TO YERMO
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z20.jpg)
DECORATIVE TRUCK
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z18.jpg)
ARROWHEAD TRAIL
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z17.jpg)
U.S. 91 CLOSED DUE TO BAD BRIDGES. I DIDN'T SEE ANY ATTEMPT TO FIX THEM EITHER
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z16.jpg)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z13.jpg)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z12.jpg)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z15.jpg).
CLASSIC CALIFORNIA C-BLOCK BEING DISPLAYED BY JESSE
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/ElVeterano/z10.jpg)
Awesome photos. Looks like my kind of trip. I wish I were with you!
Feel free to post your trip photos and logs anytime.