Hazel Dell Road is an approximately 4-mile rural highway located on the San Andreas Rift Zone in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Hazel Dell Road begins at the terminus of Browns Valley Road and extends southeast through a Coastal Redwood Grove to Mount Madonna Road. The corridor of Hazel Dell Road traditionally has been the most direct link between Corralitos and Gilroy via Mount Madonna. This roadway has been in documented usage back to the era of Mexican Ranchos during the period of Alta California. Part 1; the history of Hazel Dell Road Hazel Dell Road is part of the original highway corridor between the communities of Corralitos and Gilroy. The Hazel Dell Road corridor begins at Browns Valley Road near Corralitos and extends southeasterly to the foot of Mount Madonna Road. Mount Madonna Road was the original highway over the Santa Cruz Mountains which connected Gilroy, Watsonville and Corralitos. Traditionally the roadway was known as "Watsonville...
Laytonville is an unincorporated community located in Mendocino County along US Route 101 (Redwood Highway). This small community has been US Route 101 since 1926 and part of the Redwood Highway since the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act. While improvements to the highway in Laytonville have been minimal it has seen substantial modernization in the general area. This blog will serve as an exploration of the history US Route 101 in the Laytonville area. The blog cover depicts a southward view on US Route 101 in the community during the 1940s. Part 1; the history of US Route 101 in Laytonville What is now Laytonville was founded in 1874 by Nova Scotian settler Frank B. Layton. Layton established a blacksmith shop on the stage route between Willits and the Bell Springs Grade. The Laytonville Post Office would open for service during 1879. The history of what would become US Route 101 in Laytonville began with the approval of the 1909 First S...