Skip to main content

Clovis "Gateway To The Sierras" sign and Tarpey Depot

By


Within Oldtown Clovis a fixture of the original alignment of California State Route 168 can be found in the form of the "Clovis Gateway To The Sierras" sign. The sign was erected along Clovis Avenue in 1940 and was in use along California State Route 168 until the highway was relocated circa 1999-2001.

Nearby Tarpey Deport can be found at the northeast corner of Clovis Avenue and 4th Street. The depot was constructed in 1892 as part of the San Joaquin Valley Railroad between Fresno and Friant. The depot structure was one previously located at the southeast corner of Clovis Avenue and Ashlan Avenue.


Part 1; the history of the Gateway To The Sierras sign

The "Clovis Gateway To The Sierras" sign located in Oldtown Clovis along Clovis Avenue between 4th Street and 5th Street. During 1933 Legislative Route Number 76 was extended with a second segment plotted between Huntington Lake and Fresno. The new segment passed through Oldtown Clovis westbound via Tollhouse Road, 3rd Street, Clovis Avenue and Shaw Avenue. During August 1934 the Huntington Lake-Fresno segment of Legislative Route Number 76 would be announced as a component of California State Route 168.
The "Gateway To The Sierras" sign would be added to Clovis Avenue during 1940. The sign is a porcelain design which was fabricated by the Fresno Neon Sign Company. California State Route 168 can be seen passing by the location of the Gateway To The Sierras sign along Clovis Avenue on the 1946 United States Geological Survey Map of Clovis.


Between 1999-2001 California State Route 168 would be relocated onto the Sierra Freeway and would bypass Oldtown Clovis. The Gateway To The Sierras sign would be restored in 2010 and remains a fixture of Oldtown Clovis.




Part 2; Tarpey Depot

Tarpey Depot can be found at the northeast corner of Clovis Avenue and 4th Street. The depot was constructed in 1892 as part of the San Joaquin Valley Railroad between Fresno and Friant. The depot was originally located at the site of Tarpey Ranch at the southeast corner of Clovis Avenue and Ashlan Avenue. The structure would be moved to Oldtown Clovis and was restored in 1999. The Fresno-Friant line was sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1893 which is why Tarpey Depot.







Tarpey Depot can be seen located at the southeast corner of Clovis Avenue and Ashlan Avenue on the 1946 United States Geological Survey Map of Clovis.

Comments

Anonymous said…
pretty nice
4:25 AM
Daniel Stober said…
Hi Tom: Hwy 168 originally entered Clovis via 5th Street. The USGS topo map shows that, too. You can see that the Tollhouse Road diagonal continues west of Sunnyside Ave before turning west.
The change to Third Street occurred sometime in the early 1970s when the Clovis Civic Center was built. At the time, the Clovis Library was the eastmost building, and vestiges of the Tollhouse diagonal could be seen in the parking lot.
Thanks for this article. I lived in downtown Clovis right after I got married in the early 1990s, and I never realized that the Tarpey Depot was right there.
2:57 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

By
  Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Pollasky Bridge

By
The Pollasky Bridge near modern day Friant is a ruined highway bridge which was completed during early 1906 as part of the Fresno-Fresno Flats Road.  The structure is one of the oldest known arch concrete spans to have been constructed in California.  The bridge briefly carried California State Route 41 following the destruction of the Lanes Bridge in 1940.  The Pollasky Bridge itself was destroyed by flooding during 1951, but the ruins can still be found on the Madera County side of the San Joaquin River.   Pictured as the blog cover is the Pollasky Bridge as it was featured in the 1913 book "The Concrete Bridge."  The structure can be seen crossing the San Joaquin River near Friant below on the 1922 United States Geological Survey Map.   Part 1; the history of the Pollasky Bridge The Pollasky Bridge site is near modern day Friant of Fresno County.  The community of Friant was established as Converse Ferry during 1852 on the San Joaquin Rive...
1 comment
Read more

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

By
Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...
Post a Comment
Read more