Title supplied by cataloger. The Ridge Route is a narrow two-lane highway in the northern Greater Los Angeles area that winds over the San Gabriel and Tehachapi Mountains between Castaic Junction on the south and extends to the bottom of Grapevine Grade on the north where I-5 enters the great San Joaquin Valley. It was opened in 1915 and paved with concrete from 1917 to 1921, making it the first paved highway directly linking the Los Angeles Basin with the San Joaquin Valley over the Tejon Pass and the rugged ridge south of Gorman. In 1930, a new three-lane highway, the Newhall Alternate, was built through Weldon and Gavin Canyons bypassing Newhall and Saugus entirely. In 1931, construction began on a three-lane highway over the Liebre Mountains, just north of Castaic, bypassing the treacherous curves and grades over the Ridge Route. On October 29, 1933, U.S. Route 99 (or just US 99), known as the Ridge Route Alternate, was opened over the Liebre Mountains; by 1936, all of the Ridge Route had been replaced over the mountains. In 1970, the Ridge Route Alternate was upgraded to a modern 8-lane freeway, Interstate 5. Currently, the stretch of Old Ridge Route that remains is roughly 21 miles long, and in several locations, looks down onto Interstate 5, though the northern end of the route is buried underneath the I-5. Aerial view of Sky Ranch situated along Ridge Route and California State Route 99 (also known as Highway 99, or U.S. 99) at the Tejon Pass; Ridge Route is also called the Castaic-Tejon Route. Three automobiles can be seen traveling along the highway that runs past Sky Ranch, which is completely surrounded by mountains and barren land. Photographed for Warren D. Allen on March 21, 1957.
Type
image
Format
1 negative :safety ;12 x 14 cm. Photographic safety negatives
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
