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Two reasons for this presentation: • Part of the “public benefit” mitigation being prepared for this project. • Educate interest groups as to the opportunities to become involved in projects for which they may have historic preservation concerns 2
From John W. Robinson, The San Bernardinos , p.. 35. Beginning in the 1850s, California enacted several of laws easing restrictions on the creation of private companies, reducing subscription rates, and authorizing counties to set tolls for the construction of toll roads. Many toll roads were incorporated between the 1850s and 1880s, with a peak during the 1860s (Caltrans, A Historical Context and Methodology For Evaluating Trails, Roads, and Highways in California . 2016. p 61 ‐ 62). (1852) Mormon Road at Waterman Canyon (1858) San Bernardino Pine Mountain Turnpike Company formed to repair the Mormon (Waterman Canyon) Road, which had fallen into disrepair. First toll road into the mountains (Robinson 26, Hammond 4) (1861) Cajon Pass Toll Road. John Brown and others secured a franchise for a toll road in Cajon Pass. Franchise was to last for 20 years, after which the Cajon Pass Toll Road was to become a public road. Starting near Devore, the road ran up Cajon Canyon to Blue Cut, through the Narrows, up Crowder Canyon to the summit of Cajon Pass, where it met the road to Oro Grande (Robinson 51). (1867 ‐ 68) Nathan Swarthout builds road up Bailey Canyon into Sawpit Canyon lumber 3
area, replacing the old Bandini Road of the 1840s (Robinson 31). (1869 ‐ 70) Mountain Turnpike Company incorporated to construct Daley Canyon Toll Road (Twin & City Creek Turnpike), providing a more direct route to the lumbering area in Little Bear Valley (Robinson 31). Originating in Del Rosa the road was located east of Waterman Canyon road and west of current City Creek Road. (1878) San Bernardino Board of Supervisors commission Assistant State Engineer Fred Perris to survey a route from Long Point up City Creek canyon. The proposed road would cost more than the $20,000 available to build, and thus was not built (Robinson 159). (1890 ‐ 91) City Creek Toll Road by Highland Lumber Company. (1892) Bear Valley Wagon Road 3
From John W. Robinson, The San Bernardinos , p. 43 (1890) David Seeley/ Thomas McFarlane began a road up City Creek Canyon to his lumber holdings above East Fork City Creek (later sold to Danahers). (SBD Mountains Highlander, May 1978). (1890 ‐ 91) Danaher Brothers incorporate the Highland Lumber Company, purchased a 26,000 ‐ acre tract of timberland above the east fork of City Creek. Negotiated rights ‐ of ‐ way with orange growers and settlers through Highland and lower City Creek, and began construction of a road up to their timber holdings and their proposed mill at Long Point (Robinson 37 ‐ 38, 159). Original plan appears to have been to first build a road along as easy a grade as possible such that it can later be used as a railroad grade. The plan was to get the road open, then once operations were up and running, to go back and straighten the road and construct additional timber bridges to make the grade easier (San Bernardino Daily Times ‐ Index, Saturday March 28, 1891) (Hammond 5 ‐ 6, Sun 6/2/19, and 5/18/19). Originally planned to have a 10% grade. The HLC anxious to start lumbering but the road building up City Creek was not going fast enough. Road crews were ordered to abandon 4
their easy grading and zigzag the route steeply up to the crest (25% grade). The first lumber produced was used for the mill. The second cutting was used to construct a bridge across City Creek Gorge (replacing the original shoefly), and the third run was utilized to build a company town. Before year's end, lumber was hauled down the City Creek road to construct a box mill in Highland at Molino station of the Santa Fe Railroad's "Kite Line," to serve Highland citrus growers. (1891)(July 7) Highland Lumber Company petitions County Board of Supervisors to establish City Creek Road as a toll road. “Said road was constructed on nearly a railroad grade in many of its parts and was constructed by said Company entirely for its own use and purposes.” The Company had acquired all rights of way along the road, and because it is in the best interest of the County “offers to make the same a toll road, free and open to all travelers who seek to pass and re ‐ pass over said road at the tolls herewith stated . . . ” The Company constructed the road for $50,000. (filed July 7, 1891 with the County Clerk) (1892) Highland residents petition County BOS for reduction of toll on City Creek Road (LA Times 8/9/1892). City Creek Road tolls reduced (list of new tolls) (LA Times 8/21/1892). (1892) “Dutch John” Schenk’s store located in City Creek Canyon (Barrel Springs) near the forks below the site of the future CCC camp/ USFS ranger station. Later became Phil’s Trout Pond. Another way station was located at Long Point (Robinson 163; Calvert, 169; SBD Mountains Highlander, May 1978). (1892) Highland Lumber Co.'s Long Point Mill ceased Operations. Molino Box Factory kept operating, on & off, for next 7 yrs. (Robinson 38). (1899) Brookings Lumber Co. purchased Highland Lumber Co. The deal included sawmill at Long Point, 6,000 ac. Of timberland, City Creek Toll Rd., Molino Box Factory. The Company became largest operation known in the SBd Mts. (Robinson 38). (1899) County BOS transferred toll road franchise on City Creek Road to Brookings (LA Times 6/6/1899). City Creek Rd. widened & regraded except upper portion. Constructed a narrow gauge logging railroad (LA Times 1/1/1900; (Robinson 38). Up to 35 teams operating a day hauling lumber down City Creek Road to Moline factory, averaging 2500 feet per load (LA Times 1/1/1900) (1912) Brookings Lumber Company halts operations and moves to Oregon. Most easily accessible timber had been cut. (Robinson 43 ‐ 44). 4
First City Creek Bridge, Built 1891 (source unknown?) Work on City Creek Road began in January and ended in July “The grade is easy and uniform.” 3 miles up the canyon, the road crosses the canyon on a bridge 180 feet long, 80 feet above the water, and containing 132,000 board feet of lumber (article also describes the mill)(LA Times 12/4/1891). 5
1901 USGS Redlands Quad Thus ends the first phase in the history of City Creek road. Contextually, what was happening at this time (1890 ‐ 1910): 1855 ‐ 1860s Gold Mining in Bear Valley. As many as 1000 miners in the area by end of 1860 (Robinson 47 ‐ 48). Continues . . . 1860 ‐ 80s Ranching begins in Mountain areas in association with lumber and mining interests. Continues . . . 1850 ‐ 1880s Timbering continues … expands 1890s Things start to change: Advent of the automobile means a new king of road is needed. Good Roads Movement influences planned road development and formation of automobile clubs and associations primarily between 1870s and 1920s. The Good Roads movement coincided with the Back to Nature movement . Both had many advocates in Southern California ( Caltrans, A Historical Context . . . 2016. p 67, 79). 6
(1886) California Board of Forestry established. (1891) Forest Reserve Act introduced concept of retaining public lands for present & future use. (1893) San Bernardino Forest Reserve established by Pres. Harrison.737,280 acres (1907) San Bernardino Forest Reserve became San Bernardino National Forest. (1905) Growing opposition to clear ‐ cutting and emphasis on conservation. Transfer of Forest timber reserves to DOAs Forest Service. (ca. 1910) County acquired several sections of former toll roads and opened them as public roads. 6
From San Bernardino Daily Sun, June 1, 1919 (when City Creek Road was opened by the County as County Highway) Now we are in a new era of road building focused more on cars rather than wagons, serving mountain residential and recreational traffic rather than ranching, mining, and timber interests. (1900) Brookings Lumber Company petitions to transfer City Creek Toll Road to County. (County does not accept until 1914 (RH). (1914) County Board of Supervisors accepts “Brookings Road” as a County Road (BOS minutes 5/4/1914). Road purchased by SBd co . ( California Highways and Public Works , 3 ‐ 4/48). (1915) The County will survey the old Brookings road at City Creek to determine the cost of making it a public road (reprinted in SBD Sun, October 24, 1967) Communities divide over road. San Bernardino and Highland are in favor of the road; Redlands and others oppose it. Opposition rests not on having a new road, but against expenditure of funds for another mountain road when other County roads need 7
attention (LA Times 7/18/1917) (LA Times 11/20/1915). (1917 ‐ 19) San Bernardino County takes over City Creek Road. County reworked entire road, reducing hairpin turns, reducing the 18 ‐ 20% grades to 10 ‐ 12%, regrading 22 ‐ foot roadbed, applying 16 feet of oil surfacing (CHPW M ‐ A/1948). 7
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