TheStockton–Los Angeles Road, also known as the Millerton Road, Stockton–Mariposa Road, Stockton–Fort Miller Road or the Stockton–Visalia Road, was established about 1853 following the discovery of gold on theKern River in OldTulare County. This route betweenStockton andLos Angeles followed by the Stockton–Los Angeles Road (except that between Stockton andDavis's Ferry on theTuolumne River) is described in "Itinerary XXI. From Fort Yuma to Benicia, California",[1] inThe Prairie Traveler: A Hand-book for Overland Expeditions byRandolph Barnes Marcy.[2] The Itinerary was derived from the report of LieutenantR. S. Williamson on his topographical survey party in 1853, that was in search of a railroad route through the interior of California.[3]
Transportation and commerce to the northern part of California fromSouthern California prior to 1849 was carried north along the coast viaEl Camino Real or later diverted to the north, from theSan Fernando Mission inland viaEl Camino Viejo "the old road", a route over the mountains north ofLos Angeles, along the west side of theSan Joaquin Valley, turning west across the coast ranges to reach Oakland and San Francisco. During and after 1849, transportation and commerce to the gold mines of theMother Lode from the south became a northern extension of theSouthern Emigrant Trail up the east side of the San Joaquin Valley from the El Camino Viejo.
The49er route from Los Angeles followed El Camino Viejo toSan Fernando Mission then northward over the steepFremont Pass, across theSanta Clarita Valley and up through theSan Francisquito Canyon toSan Francisquito Pass and north toElizabeth Lake. From the lake the route was north through the foothills viaWillow Springs Canyon, then northwest toMud Spring where the road divided. From Mud Spring, El Camino Viejo turned west northwest toCow Springs and west to Portezuela de Castac or Castac Pass (nowTejon Pass). Beyond Castac Pass, El Camino Viejo turned west up what becameCuddy Canyon andCuddy Valley where it turned down theArroyo San Emigdio toRancho San Emidio one of the few settlements in the then trackless and unsettled southernSan Joaquin Valley. Another route, not well known or used, diverted north from "the old road" at Castac Pass to followLa Cañada de las Uvas orGrapevine Canyon down into San Joaquin Valley.
The most direct wagon route was directly north from Mud Spring, across theAntelope Valley toCottonwood Creek, following it up the east slope of theTehachapi Mountains to cross them at theold Tejon Pass, then descending the west slope to the canyon ofTejon Creek, which the road followed down throughRancho El Tejon into the San Joaquin Valley. This road over the old Tejon Pass was later described it as "one of the worst roads he ever saw," by LieutenantR. S. Williamson who made the survey of the pass for a railroad route through the Tehachapi Mountains. He found a better route further west atLa Cañada de las Uvas, the Grapevine Canyon route, where he sent his own wagons . His recommendation would popularize the Grapevine route for later teamsters and emigrants. The old Tejon Pass route was abandoned in favor of the route through Grapevine Canyon and Fort Tejon Pass was shortened taking the name Tejon Pass.[4]
Once in the San Joaquin Valley the route proceeded north following the eastern foothills of the Sierras, crossing the various creeks and rivers near these eastern foothills of the Sierra's to avoid the marshes in the valley, until they reached the goldfields of theMother Lode.
Also in 1853, a Los Angeles businessman, Henry Clay Wiley installed awindlass atop the Fremont Pass to speed and ease the ascent and descent of the steep Santa Clara Divide, and built a tavern, hotel and stable nearby. In 1854, Wiley sold out to Sanford and Cyrus Lyon and it began to be calledLyon Station. At the same timePhineas Banning obtained the business of supplyingFort Tejon.[5] The Castac Pass now became known as theFort Tejon Pass.
In the next few years, settlements and miners camps gradually spread along this route along the Sierra foothills looking for new gold mines. Cattle and horses from Southern California, were driven north along the route and immigrants and teamsters continued to follow it. Ferries began to be established at the various crossing places.
In 1853, D. B. James and Brigham James made the first discovery of gold at theKern River in the huge but until then nearly unsettledMariposa County. With unclaimed placer gold sites becoming more scarce in the Mother Lode region to the north, a stampede to theSouthern Mines followed. Traffic to the south boomed. To make it practical to get the business of supplying the Kern River gold miners fromSan Pedro,Phineas Banning made a few adjustments to the old road, carving a small cut through the Santa Clara Divide then running eastward before descending down Elsmere Canyon to Lyon Station.[5][6]
By 1855, Phineas Banning's wagon trains were carrying supplies from Los Angeles via Fort Tejon toFort Miller (in what is now Fresno County) and for the Kern River gold rush.[7] Several thousand miners participated in the Kern River Gold Rush but most were disappointed. Over the following seven or eight years other discoveries were made nearby atWhite River,Keyesville,Owens River, in theSlate Range and in theCoso District that caused other mining booms. These kept the Stockton–Los Angeles Road active, connected with two trails cut across the Sierra Nevada mountains over which pack trains carrying supplies were sent to these new mines. A wagon road was also constructed from Visalia through Keyesville andWalker Pass toOwens Valley. By 1858 there were threestamp mills in the Kern River district, several other stamp mills were constructed a few years later to mill the ore of theCoso andOwens River districts and the freighting of supplies to these places became a major business in Los Angeles and Stockton.[8]
In 1858, the southern portion of the road from Los Angeles to Visalia was taken as part of the route of theButterfield Overland Mail, being used until 1861 when theAmerican Civil War put an end to its use. Commercial use by long haul freight wagons, stagecoaches, and livestock continued until the mid 1870s when the railroad from northern California reached Los Angeles.
The route began at Stockton leaving the city toward the southeast toward the foothills of the Sierras to avoid the marshes called "tules" and the often flooded lowlands or lakes along the course of theSan Joaquin River and the lower reaches of its tributaries. Due to competing ferry crossings and bridges, or the condition of the roads, different roads roughly paralleling the route would be taken. One of these was the oldFrench Camp Road, which was better drained than the Mariposa Road during the rainy season. The route from Stockton crossedSan Joaquin County toDry Creek (now Lone Tree Creek) about two miles north-northeast of modernEscalon then on to the crossings of theStanislaus River either atHeath & Emory's Ferry up river from modernOakdale or atTaylor's Ferry Crossing in Oakdale or further down river atIslips Ferry.
The route then continued southeast to theTuolumne River crossings at eitherDickinson's Ferry, the principal ferry on the route, near modernWaterford, California or atDavis's Ferry, 2 miles (3.2 km) down the river from Dickinson's Ferry.
From Dickinson's Ferry there is mileage data compiled by the Prairie Traveler Itinerary. The route reached theMerced River, upriver fromSnelling, after 18.87 miles (30.37 km). The three main crossings of the Merced River were located within 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream from Merced Falls, a set of rapids on the Merced River 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Snelling. These ferries were Young's Ferry,Belt's Ferry, (later Murray's Ferry), andPhillips' Ferry. Phillips's Ferry was the place farthest east, upriver, where theMariposa andMerced County boundary line crossed the Merced River; Murray's was only a short distance below Phillips's; but above Young's.[9] Here the route had reached the edge of the eastern foothills and now it followed them southward, because such a route was nearer the mines and the river crossings were much easier than in the level plains below, that were more difficult to travel especially in wet weather and during the spring floods.[2]
From Phillips' Ferry the route ran 18.33 miles (29.50 km) from the Merced River toBear Creek. Then after 10.39 miles (16.72 km) it came to the crossing of theMariposa River, were John and "Paddy" Bennett, kept the Union post office. Another 10.39 miles and the road came toNewton's Crossing on theChowchilla River or "Big Mariposa" was reached. This section of road from Phillips Ferry to Newton's Crossing became the boundary line between Merced and Mariposa Counties when Merced County was created from Mariposa County in 1855.[2][10]
From Newton's Crossing it was 12.15 miles (19.55 km) toFresno Crossing on theFresno River, about twelve miles east of what is nowMadera, California. From "Fresno Crossing" the route continued 7.72 miles (12.42 km) to the crossing atCottonwood Creek and beyond in another 9.4 miles (15.1 km) came toMcCray's Ferry andMillerton on the south bank of theSan Joaquin River withFort Miller, midway on the route to Los Angeles.[2]
From Fort Miller it was 25.73 miles (41.41 km) to theSlough of King's River and 12.3 miles (19.8 km) more to Campbells Crossing on the Upper Kings River, 3 miles (4.8 km) above modernReedley, California. William Campbell and John Poole operatedPoole's Ferry at Campbells Crossing from 1851 to 1857. Smith's Ferry was established by James Smith and his wife, at what is now Reedley in 1855. Smith's was the only ferry boat on the Kings River that could be approached at high water and outlasted other Kings River ferries, being operated by the Smith family until 1874. Smith kept a two-story, 11-room hotel nearby.[11] In 1858, W. W. Hills establishedHills Ferry upstream at Poole's Crossing on the King's River at what becameScotsburg.[2][12][13]
From Campbells Crossing it was 28.13 miles (45.27 km) to the crossing atSt. John's Creek, the first and northernmost of the creeks of the "Four Creeks" which was crossed by the wagon-road. These streams were commonly known as the "Four Creeks" but weredistributaries of theKaweah River that divided itself after emerging from the Sierra's forming a delta before enteringTulare Lake to the west. From St. John's Creek it was only 0.89 miles (1.43 km) to the Kaweah River, the second and principal one of the "Four Creeks." Between these two streams the town of Visalia grew up from its beginning in 1853, located west downstream from the original route of the road. From the Kaweah River River it was 3.3 miles (5.3 km) toCameron Creek, the third of the "Four Creeks." From Cameron Creek it was only 0.29 miles (0.47 km) toDeep Creek, fourth and southernmost of the "Four Creeks".[2]
From Deep Creek the Stockton–Los Angeles road ran 22 miles (35 km) to theTule River. From 1854 Peter Goodhue operated an emigrant trail stopping place on the bank of the Tule River until the river changed its course in 1862. It was also the site of theTule River Stage Station for theButterfield Overland Mail, from 1858 to 1861. R. Porter Putnam, who ran the place in 1860, later foundedPorterville there in 1864.[2]
From Tule River the Stockton–Los Angeles route ran 5.10 miles (8.21 km) toMore's Creek (now Deer Creek). The road then ran 11.1 miles (17.9 km) southeast toStickneys Ferry onWhite Creek, (now White River). About 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of More's Creek midway to White River,Fountain Springs was established before 1855, at the junction of the Stockton–Los Angeles Road and the road to the Kern River gold mines. From Stickneys Ferry it was 24.3 miles (39.1 km) to the Depot Camp and the road crossing ofPoso Creek. From the Depot Camp it was 10.8 miles (17.4 km) to theKern River crossing atGordon's Ferry.[2]
From Gordon's Ferry it was 31 miles (50 km) to the Depot Camp onTejon Creek. From the Tejon Depot Camp it was 13.1 miles (21.1 km) up the Grapevine Canyon, toFort Tejon and on to the summit of theFort Tejon Pass. From the summit of Fort Tejon Pass it was 24 miles (39 km) to the summit of the road in the Coast Range inSan Francisquito Pass. From the pass it was 15.8 miles (25.4 km) downSan Francisquito Canyon to the southeast fork of theSanta Clara River and theRancho San Francisco. From there it was another 7.15 miles (11.51 km) to the summit of theLyons Station andFremont Pass.[2]
From the top of Fremont Pass it was 5.9 miles (9.5 km) of a steep descent to the bottom of the pass, and on toMission of San Fernando in the valley and another 10.7 miles (17.2 km) to theRancho Cahuenga at the crossing of a branch of theLos Angeles River. From the Cahuenga crossing it was another 10.2 miles (16.4 km) throughCahuenga Pass to Los Angeles.[2]
In the 1870s, construction of the railroad through the San Joaquin Valley and to Los Angeles, drew population from the Sierra foothills into the towns along the rail line and replaced long distance hauling of freight and passengers on the road. Diversion of water for irrigation dried up the lowlands of the San Joaquin Valley in the 1880s ending its role as the only passable road in bad weather, and the road fell further into disuse.
