From the Archives –
This map of the Lake Elsinore area comes to us from San Diego County dating from November 1883. At the time, Elsinore was a part of San Diego County. In 1893, this area became a part of Riverside County.
Felt an earthquake? Want to know where it was and how big? Follow the links below to get up-to-date information from the USGS and the California Geological Survey.
If you felt the earthquake, let the USGS know by contacting them at: “Did You Feel It?“ This data helps them determine magnitude of the earthquake, how the geology affects that, and how the type of structure reacts to the event. Most earthquakes larger than 4.0 are listed in the “Events” section of the page.
This photo shows the I-10 / I-215 interchange in San Bernardino, California as it existed in 1958. At the time, those numbers didn’t quite exist. Back then, this was the junction of US 70, US 91, US 99, US 395, and State 18. The view is looking south along what is now I-215 with the Santa Ana River bridges in the foreground. The bridge to the left was US 99 until the 1930’s. The two bridges to the right are still around, though widened.
Varner Road and Garnet Road
Thousand Palms to Garnet
From Thousand Palms to Garnet, old US 99 ran along Varner Road and Garnet Road. This was the original alignment and lasted until the 1940’s when this section was upgraded to an expressway on a new alignment.
In January 1922, construction began on what would become US 99. It was paved with a 16′ concrete slab. This was done in sections, with the first being between Whitewater and Edom. In May 1926, the roadway was widened with a new 4′ slab on one side, though this varied near curves, such as around Garnet Hill, where the widening work was used to soften the curves. In 1949, the roadway was paved over with asphalt, a covering which remains east of Palm Dr. Only a short while later, in 1952, the whole section would be bypassed by the alignment now covered by I-10.
Varner Road
Garnet Road
In late 2019, the old and degraded asphalt covering on Varner Rd was removed from Palm Dr to the terminus near I-10, revealing nearly pristine concrete. The roadway may not last in this condition, as there is a potential for commercial development in this area.
Whitewater
At Whitewater, the original alignment bends north from I-10 to cross the Whitewater River on a 1923 bridge. This bridge remains with almost no modifications since its construction. The approaches at both ends retain their original concrete as well, dating to 1922 with widening strips from 1926.
In 1952, the bridge was bypassed by a new alignment to the south. This new alignment was built as a four-lane expressway and was converted to an eight-lane freeway in 1967 as I-10.
Railroad Ave / Main St / Johnson Ln
Whitewater to Banning
Railroad Ave from about 0.25 miles west of Haugen-Lehmann Way to Cabazon follows the original alignment of US 99. The roadway today acts as a frontage road to I-10. At Cabazon, the road becomes Main St. Between Morongo Trail and Banning, old US 99 followed Johnson Ln.
This section of old 99 has a similar story as earlier. Paved in 1922 with a 16′ concrete slab, widened in 1926 with a 4′ slab. Improvements were made in 1934, such as bridge widening and resurfacing. In 1940, the highway was widened to a four-lane expressway from Beaumont with a narrow median. Much of this roadway remains, albeit heavily modified. Eastbound I-10 encompasses former northbound US 99 with some of the 1940 bridges still in use. The frontage road, Railroad Ave, is the former southbound and original roadway. Portions of the road bear the marks showing the 1922 / 1926 concrete below.
Approaching Cabazon, portions of the former 1940 roadway is still visible though abandoned. It is a small section running about 0.4 miles east of Main St where it intersects I-10 south of the east Cabazon exit.
In Cabazon proper, the highway widens to four lanes again. While the median was modified in later years, this section retains most of the “feel” of the old 1940 expressway. Heading west from Cabazon at Morongo Trail, the old alignment follows a partially abandoned frontage road. Access at the east end can be a bit tricky but has improved in recent years. Two culverts were removed between Morongo Trail and Malki Road (formerly Apache Trail), so use caution traveling this roadway.
Just west of the the Malki Road interchange, the San Gorgonio Wash bridge is crossed. It was originally constructed in 1925 and widened in 1935. I-10 occupies the former northbound side of the expressway here, with the 1940 bridge still in use, albeit widened in 1970. The bridge railing for the 1925 span is unusual as, when it was widened in 1935, the original style was kept. Normally, a more modern railing is used.
West of the San Gorgonio Wash bridge, the roadway is diverted again for the eastbound I-10 truck scales. At the east Banning interchange, the roadway finally ends. Travel to Banning requires taking I-10 from Malki Road to Ramsey St.
Near Valyermo, California, outside of Palmdale, the locals have placed signs where Pallet Creek Road crosses the San Andreas Fault. They picked a really nice spot too, as you have a sag area, fault scarp, and offset streams all easily visible from there. I recommend a visit!
