Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
March 18, 1940 With the first day of spring only a couple of days away, the California Division of Highways (part of the present-day California Department of Transportation) announced that a section of U.S. Route 50 (US 50) in the Golden State that had been blocked by snow was again available for traffic. This section... Continue Reading →
October 5, 1872 In southern California, construction on a major wooden pier along the Pacific coast was completed in the city of Ventura. “At last a steamer can lay alongside of the wharf, and discharge and take on cargo and passengers,” reported the Ventura Signal newspaper. “It is a grand improvement upon the old way,... Continue Reading →
August 24, 1945 The Yosemite Valley Railroad (YVRR) in central California went out service following the run of its last regularly scheduled train. YVRR had been incorporated in San Francisco in 1902 by John S. Drum, William B. Bosley, Sydney M. Ehrman, Thomas Turner, and Joseph D. Smith. The short-line railroad transported both passengers and... Continue Reading →
June 27, 1937 On California’s central coast, a major portion of State Route 1 (better known at the time as the Roosevelt Highway, in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt) was officially dedicated in the rugged but picturesque Big Sur region. Thousands of people were on hand to witness the debut of this highway segment... Continue Reading →
June 1, 1854 The original Alcatraz Island Lighthouse in California’s San Francisco Bay began operations. The lighthouse was first lit at sunset by head keeper Michael Cassin. The lighthouse, which was the first active one on the Pacific coast, had been authorized in response to the urgent need to safely guide an ever-growing number... Continue Reading →
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for a pioneering highway between Los Angeles and Pasadena in southern California. Over the course of two decades, the plans for building the Arroyo Seco Parkway had steadily taken shape in response to the mushrooming use of automobiles throughout the region. The festivities marking the launch of construction on the... Continue Reading →
A new lighthouse began operations in the part of central California that is about halfway between the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. Piedras Blancas Light Station, specifically located a little over five miles (8.1 kilometers) west by northwest of the town of San Simeon, has since served as a key navigational aid for... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 