San Bernardino and the Cajon Pass

[Parsa]

I'll be posting notes, maps, and other information, covering both US 66 and US 395, for the route between San Bernardino and the current split of US 395 near Hesperia. Since I will be looking at some pre-1926 information, this will also cover the National Old Trails Road. US 395 was extending into California (all the way to San Diego) in about November 1934. So, I will try to especially outline the 1935 highway route.

[Parsa]

The 1912 California State Automobile Associate Tour Book does not show any of the route through the Mojave desert. The main route at this time up until about 1914 or 1915 was the "Ocean-to-Ocean Highway" route east into the desert, then southeast to Brawley and Yuma. The other option was to follow the Coast Route south to San Diego, and take the auto trail east through Campo, Jacumba, and on to El Centro and Yuma.

However, an article in the 1912 Touring Topics included a map #92. It actually has a 1912 copyright notice, a practice which ended in 1918. This is the oldest map I've found for the route. Notes follow the image.

 


This is a pretty small scale map, but a few points can be noted:
The highway did not seem to cross the rail line at Verdemont, but instead at the actual hamlet of Devore right at the railroad. This will be seen more clearly on the 1919 TIB map. The road seems to cross west of the railroad then back east near the Blue Cut area. It crosses west again at Cozy Dell. There is an 18% grade shown near the summit, so on this map it seems the road may have taken the old summit road at this time (Forest Road 3N45). This map show the diagonal alignment to Hesperia, only a trace of which remains today. The old road via Stoddard Well to Daggett is shown, and this was not only shorter, but a very easily drivable road, much of which still exists.

[Parsa]

The next map is from a tour book produced by the Arizona Good Roads Association in 1913. It was reprinted by Arizona Highways in 1987. All the maps in the guide show Arizona roads, but fortunately the entire route from Needles to Los Angeles is shown. Perhaps this was due to influence from the Santa Fe-Needles-Grand Canyon National Highway Association which formed at about this time. I have clipped out only the section from San Bernardino to Victorville.

        



This map shows the same railroad crossings in Cajon Pass as the 1912 map above.

[Parsa]

The next map is the auto club's 1915 National Old Trails Road map #223, Part 3 of the series.. A flurry of cartographic activity occurred in the 1915 period, since San Francisco was hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and San Diego was hosting the Panama-California Exposition in that year.

 

[Parsa]

The next map appears in the 1923, 1926, and 1928 ACSC National Old Trails Road guides. The scan below is a strip map card from November 1924 showing the same map in the guide books.

 

[Parsa]

This map is from the 1934 ACSC booklet entitled National Old Trails Road and U.S. Highway 66. Minor changes occur in the Cajon Pass. The old road to Hesperia is even less evident here.


 

[Parsa]

Image of the original Verdemont railroad crossing. City 66 on Kendall is merging in from the east. US 66 crossed here and City or Alt US 66 ended.
The cement paving begins at N 34° 11.657', W 117° 22.280'


 

[Parsa]

By 1941, this sharp grade crossing had been eliminated, and the current crossing had been built. This is from the 1941 Devore 1:31680 topographic map. Devore is also shown at the railroad junction.


 

[Parsa]

Cajon Pass waypoints

Cajon Campground: N 34° 16.518', W 117° 27.159'
Cozy Dell: N 34° 16.751', W 117° 27.214'

[Parsa]

I posted photos for the December 22nd field trip on the Photo Gallery and Virtual Road Trip page.

• Photo Gallery


• Satellite Virtual Road Trip


• Normal Map Virtual Road Trip