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...
Sequoia National Forest Road 13S04 (Buck Rock Road) is an approximately 4.49-mile-high clearance dirt corridor. Buck Rock Road begins at Forest Road 14S11 (Horse Corral Road) in Tulare County and terminates to the north in Fresno County at Forest Road 14S02 (Burton Road). Buck Road is the point of access to the famous Buck Rock Lookout which is located at an elevation of 8,502 feet above sea level. Buck Rock Lookout has been in use as a fire observation platform since the creation of Sequoia National Forest in 1908. Originally the fire lookout was a simple platform which was accessible via a series of ladders and ropes. The current live-in cabin atop Buck Rock is a 4-A design which was constructed circa 1921-1922 and began service during the 1923 fire season. In 1942 the 172-step staircase to Buck Rock Lookout was constructed to replace the previous ladder and rope system. The lookout was used by the Army during World War II as part of the...