Skip to main content

Route 66 Wednesdays; Pasadena to Cajon Pass

By
This week I look back at the old section of US Route 66 from the city of Pasadena east to Cajon Pass.


Essentially the historic routing of US 66 from Pasadena in Los Angeles County east through to Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County was the following:

Pasadena

-  East on Colorado Boulevard.

Arcadia

-  East on Colorado Boulevard, Colorado Place, and Huntington Drive.

Monrovia

-  East on Huntington Drive

Duarte

-  East on Huntington Drive

Azusa

-  East on Foothill Boulevard

Glendora

-  East on Foothill Boulevard

San Dimas

-  East on Foothill Boulevard

La Verne

-  East on Foothill Boulevard

Claremont

-  East on Foothill Boulevard to the San Bernardino County Line

Upland

-  East on Foothill Boulevard

Rancho Cucamonga

-  East on Foothill Boulevard

Fontana

-  East on Foothill Boulevard

Rialto

-  East on Foothill Boulevard

San Bernardino

-  East on 5th Street

-  North on Mount Vernon Avenue

-  Northwest on Cajon Boulevard


I believe there were some earlier minor alignment changes on US 66 from Pasadena eastward but essentially everything described above can be seen on the following maps:

1935 California Division of Highways Map of the City of Los Angeles

1935 California Divisions of Highways Map of San Bernardino County

1938 State Highway Map

Essentially everything with US 66 was pretty much the same from Pasadena to Cajon Pass until the route was kicked out of California in 1972.  The truncation history of US 66 can be seen on USends.com here.

Much of US 66 between Pasadena and Cajon Pass became CA 66 after 1972.  CA 66 can be seen on the 1975 State Highway Map running between what is now modern CA 210 and I-215:

1975 State Highway Map

CAhighways.org has a detailed history of CA 66.

Today, CA 66 is barely signed if at all, that wasn't the case back in 2012 when I found this shield at the corner of H Street and 5th Street in San Bernardino.



The Google Street Vehicle Image shows that this shield disappeared sometime between 2012 and 2015.

Google Street Vehicle H Street/5th Street

At the corner of 14th Street and E Street in San Bernardino is the Historic McDonald's Museum.  I'm to understand the museum is on the site of the original McDonald's but it is much more of a Route 66 museum.  I want to say it was only $2-$3 dollars to enter the museum and it was worth the price with the classic shields on display.


There isn't much on the surface routes between Pasadena and San Bernardino that really dates back to the classic highway era.  When I worked in the Inland Empire I often had to go to LAX to pick people up from the airport.  Usually, the traffic was so bad that I had to bail off of I-10 or I-210 onto the surface roads.  Surprisingly old Route 66 was actually a very decent alternative during a busy rush hour, I want to say that I usually jumped on Foothill Boulevard just east of CA 57 in most instances.  I'd like to re-photograph the area as I didn't think most of my pictures didn't really hold up over time.

As for Cajon Pass, it is really worth checking out.  In 2012, a small segment of Cajon Boulevard was open west of I-15 between exit 129 and exit 123.  The expressway alignment was butchered by barriers and cut off completely south of Kenwood Avenue.











I want to say that Cajon Boulevard was reopened as a through route to exit 129 from downtown San Bernardino last year.  I haven't been back to check out the freshly repaired roadway, but it does appear to be a partially restored road with a new segment traversing under I-15.

I used to also have pictures of the Summit Inn at the top of Cajon Pass before it burned down last year.


Site Navigation:

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

By
Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

By
The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway.  In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County.  That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848.  During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

By
Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...
Post a Comment
Read more