All posts by Michael F Ballard

Michael F Ballard is the author and administrator of the Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads website, https://socalregion.com, since 1995. I have been studying the geology and highway history throughout southern California for most of my life. I am also the President of the Ridge Route Preservation Organization. Founder of the Historic Highway 99 Association of California, https://historic99.org .
History, Image, Los Angeles County, Railroads, Rivers, Santa Clara River, Santa Clarita, Southern Pacific

Featured Image – 8/20/2019

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On September 5, 1876, the golden spike was driven near Lang, California on the Southern Pacific Railroad line connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. That line would bring the sleepy town of Los Angeles into a spotlight that persists to this day. A small train station was built near the site, which served as an access to local mines and ranching. For a time, it also served as a transfer point for a small railroad that ran up nearby Tick Canyon that served a borax mine. By the late 1960’s, the railroads were eliminating many smaller stations as technology was making them obsolete. Lang Station was torn down and the debris was unceremoniously pushed into the river bed of the Santa Clara River. Bits of the station can still be seen today. This photo shows the station and surrounding buildings in 1967. Lang Station was located just east of Santa Clarita near the Antelope Valley Freeway (SR-14) and Soledad Canyon Road interchange.

Lang Station area in 1967. Courtesy – Caltrans
Highways, Ridge Route, Updates, US 6, US 99, Website News

Updates to Highway Logs

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As a way to keep track of the immense amount of data regarding old highways, I created highway logs to store the data. They were originally designed after 1940’s state highway logs from the Division of Highways. I have made them available on this website on my Site Documents page. The logs for US 6 and US 99 have recently been updated and have been uploaded.

History, Image, Kern County, Railroads, Southern Pacific, Trains, Union Pacific, US 466

Featured Image – 8/14/2019

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1909 postcard of the Tehachapi Loop in Kern County along the Southern Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific Railroad)

Completed in 1876, this loop still stands as an engineering marvel and a unique way of keeping the grade steady while climbing over the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield and Mojave.

Guide, Highways, History, Old Bridge, Railroads, Roads

Guide to Truss Bridges

The Historic American Engineering Record, a part of the National Park Service, produced a very detailed poster for identification of truss bridges. While these bridges aren’t as common in southern California, they still get plenty of use. Railroads are the most common user of these types of bridges, specifically the Pratt Truss.

HAER Truss Guide

City Heights, History, Maps, San Diego, San Diego County

City Heights – 1889

City Heights, an area of San Diego east of North Park in the central area of the city, is a very old and culturally diverse neighborhood. It was also known as the City of East San Diego before being incorporated into the City of San Diego and renamed City Heights in the mid 1910’s.

In this map, the eastern portion of the University Heights Motor Road, a railway that was built solely to show potential buyers the lands in City Heights, as it passes through the area. The railroad was torn up just a couple years later.

1889 Map of a portion of City Heights, San Diego, CA