California State Route 284

California State Route 284 is an eight-mile State Highway located entirely in Plumas County. California State Route 284 begins at California State Route 70 in Chilcoot and terminates at Frenchman Reservoir. California State Route 284 is one of many pre-existing roads which were annexed into the State Highway System by way of 1970 Legislative Chapter 1473. Above as the blog cover photo is a southward view on California State Route 284 (taken by Josh Schmid) as it descends from Frenchman Reservoir on Frenchman Lake Road.

Part 1; the history of California State Route 284 and unconstructed California State Route 285

California State Route 284 (CA 284) was adopted as part of 1970 Legislative Chapter 1473. CA 284 was designated as a highway connecting from Route 70 in Chilhoot to Frenchman Reservoir. Legislative Chapter 1473 defined numerous State Highways during 1970, some of the others include CA 283, CA 281, CA 271, and CA 270.

Notably the Chapter 1473 State Highways appear to have been contingent that an existing roadway be built to State Highway Standards. To that end Frenchman Lake was completed as a California Department of Water Resources irrigation project by 1961 along Little Last Chance Creek. The existing Frenchman Lake Road appears to have been improved during the Frenchman Lake project and was adopted as the alignment of CA 284. Notably modern Frenchman Lake Road appears on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Plumas County north of Chilhoot.

On the 1975 Caltrans State Highway Map the full 8-mile route of CA 284 appears as a fully functional State Highway.

Chapter 2; a virtual drive on California State Route 284

From CA 70 west in Chilhoot-Vinton traffic is advised that CA 284 can be found on Frenchman Lake Road.

Below is a northward series of photos by Josh Schmid of CA 284 as it climbs from Chilcoot to a terminus at Frenchman Reservoir. CA 284 northbound terminates at Post Mile PLU 8.302 at the south shore of Frenchman Lake.

Below of series of photos by Josh Schmid depicts southbound CA 284 descending from Frenchman Reservoir to CA 70 in Chilcoot.

Update history

- First published on May 24, 2020.

- First updated on September 12, 2022.

Comments

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l

Ghost Town Tuesday; Mannfield, FL and the stairway to Hell

Back in 2015 I went searching the Lecanto Sand Hills for the original Citrus County Seat known as Mannfield. Unlike Centrailia in Hernando County and Fivay in Pasco County I did find something worth seeing. Mannfield is located in the Lecanto Sand Hill section of Withlacoochee State Forest somewhat east of the intersection of Citrus County Route 491 and Mansfield Road. Mannfield was named after Austin Mann and founded in Hernando County in 1884 before Citrus County Split away. In 1887 Citrus County was split from northern Hernando County while Pasco County was spun off to the south. Mannfield was selected as the new Citrus County seat due to it being near the county geographic center. Reportedly Mannfield had as many as 250 people when it was the County Seat. The town included various businesses one might include at the time, even a sawmill which was common for the area. In 1891 Citrus County voted to move it's seat to Inverness which set the stage for the decline of M

The National Road - Pennsylvania - Great Crossings Bridge and Somerfield

West of Addison, US 40 crosses the Youghiogheny River at what once was the town of Somerfield. When crossing the current modern two lane bridge, you many not realize that it is actually the third to cross the Yough at this site. The first - a stone arch bridge - was known as the Great Crossings Bridge. Built in 1818, this three arch bridge was part of the original National Road. The name Great Crossings comes from the men who forded the Youghiogheny here - George Washington and George Braddock. (1) If you cross the bridge at the right time, this historic bridge and what was once the town of Somerfield will appear out from underneath this massive man-made lake. Historical Postcard showing the 'Big Crossings' bridge and Somerfield. Image submitted by Vince Ferrari. The Great Crossings Bridge was located in the town of Somerfield. Somerfield, originally named Smythfield until 1827, would develop as a result of the National Road. (1) Somerfield would go through va