Old Stage Road (Tulare County)

[Max Rockatansky]

I wanted to get something up on the forum regarding Old Stage Road in Tulare County since it will likely be until June until I publish a blog on Gribblenation.  Totally awesome road that is worth visiting if anyone is inclined to drive something fun to drive and historic:

"Today's drive in the Sierra Nevada Mountains was on Old Stage Road of Tulare County.  Old Stage Road is an approximately 30-mile rural highway comprised of Tulare County Mountain Road 1 and Tulare County Mountain Road 109.  Old Stage originates at Jack Ranch Road near Posey and ends at the outskirts of Porterville at Deer Creek. 

Old Stage Road notably is comprised of two 19th Century stage routes.  From White Mountain Road northwest to Fountain Springs, Old Stage Road overlays Thomas Baker's 1860 stage road to Lynn Valley (now Glennville) and the Kern River Gold Rush Claims.  From Fountain Springs to Deer Creek, Old Stage Road is comprised of the 1853 Stockton-Los Angeles Road.

The first photo of this post is the descent on Old Stage Road heading northwest into White River.  What became White River was settled along a spur of the Stockton-Los Angeles during 1856 as "Tailholt" when gold was discovered nearby.  By 1860 a stage road from Tailholt to Lynn Valley and the Kern River was completed over Greenhorn Summit.  The community of Tailholt would assume the name "White River" during 1870.  By the turn of the 20th Century White River was a virtual ghost town as the price of gold had significantly dropped. 

Photo two shows White River near the junction of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and the stage road of Thomas Baker on the 1873 Bancroft's Map of California.  From Fountain Springs the Stockton-Los Angeles Road continued south towards Kern County and what is now the community of Woody.  Photo 3 is a historic plaque from the Fountain Springs Stage Station detailing the history of Old Stage Road.  Old Stage Road is noted to have been the first public road in Tulare County."

0 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

A by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_9235 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

[Max Rockatansky]

Upon thinking about it last night, I didn't want to wait until the other blogs cleared out to June:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2023/02/old-stage-road-in-tulare-county-and.html