When did people start using “The Grapevine” over “Ridge Route?”

[Max Rockatansky]

Notably when I wrote the below two blogs I never once noticed an exacting reference to the segment of US 99 and I-5 in the corridor of Castaic-Grapevine Village as "The Grapevine"  in any edition of the California Highways & Public Works. 

https://www.gribblenation.org/2018/11/legend-of-ridge-route-history-of.html?m=1

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/02/the-1935-1963-los-angeles-redlands.html?m=1

I do see an occasional reference to a "Grapevine Grade"  north from Tejon Pass through Grapevine Canyon to Grapevine Village.  Even the CHPW volumes relating to the development I-5 around Weldon Canyon make specific reference to the Ridge Route lying to the north.  So to me this begs the question, when did people start referring to the corridor of Castaic-Grapevine Village as "The Grapevine."   Does anyone have thought on when the modern common use name of "The Grapevine"  might have emerged? 

Edit:  If I recall correctly Sparker had insight into when "The Grapevine"  became popular as a term to denote I-5 between Castaic-Grapevine Village.  For the life of me I can't find his old notes in the search tab.

Also, some older posters on the Historic US Highway 99 and Kern County History Pages have relayed that "The Grapevine or Grapevine"  was in use as a nickname even when the original Ridge Route alignment was in active use.  I'm to understand the older usage referred simply to what the CHPW referred to as the "Grapevine Grade"  south from Grapevine Village south to the vicinity of Fort Tejon and/or Lebec.

[SeriesE]

I'm curious about this too. I'm wondering if it's because "Ridge Route"  was no longer posted anywhere and the last exit southbound before the climb is "Grapevine"  so people started to call it that for the entire section.

[Max Rockatansky]

Some items of note I've seen so far digging through the CHPWs and California Highway Bulletins up to 1936 thus far for references to "Grapevine."

-  The May 1913 California Highway Bulletin refers to the corridor as the Tejon Route but also calls it Tejon-Castaic Ridge Route in a survey photo.  The corridor is explicitly stated to be Los Angeles-Bakersfield.
-  Confusingly the accompanying the July 1916 California Highways & Public Works refers to the Los Angeles-Bakersfield segment of LRN 4 as the Castaic-Tejon Ridge Road, Castaic Road, Castaic Ridge Road and as Ridge Route.  Nonetheless this seems to be the origin point of just plain ole "Ridge Route."   When the CHPW began in January 1924 it is simply referred to as the Ridge Route.
-  The February 1925 California Highways & Public Works refers to the segment of LRN 4 in Grapevine Canyon as the "Grapevine grade." 
-  The November 1925 California Highways & Public Works references the Ridge Route as comprising the entire Los Angeles-Bakersfield corridor of LRN 4.
-  The July 1926 California Highways & Public Works notes the Grapevine grade to be part of the northern end of the Ridge Route.
-  The July 1932 California Highways & Public Works discusses the potential annual savings from the upcoming "Alterante Ridge Route" and the rationales behind its construction.  Notably the Ridge Route is noted to still comprise the entire Los Angeles-Bakersfield corridor of US 99/LRN 4.
-  The September 1934 California Highway & Public Works discusses the Grapevine Grade between Fort Tejon 5.2 miles north to Grapevine being modernized from the Old Ridge Route alignment.  The new Grapevine Grade is cited to have opened on September 11th, 1934.  The Grapevine Grade is explicitly stated to be part of the Ridge Route in the article stub. 
-  The August 1935 California Highways & Public Works discusses the realignment of US 99/LRN 4 around Deadman's Curve in Grapevine Canyon.  The bypass of Deadman's Curve opened to traffic on July 22nd, 1935.  The article stub notes Grapevine Canyon as a segment of the larger Ridge Route.
-  The final upgrade to the Old Ridge Route in Grapevine Canyon was between Lebec and Fort Tejon which opened on August 31st, 1936 according to the October 1936 California Highways & Public Works.  The final Grapevine Canyon Grade upgrade is stated to be part of the extension of Ridge Route Alternate.  The article stub does reference Grapevine Canyon as "The Grapevine" in the second paragraph and one near the end of the article.  This appears to be the first reference something resembling the modern nickname "The Grapevine" in any official state sourced document. 

I added a link October 1936 CHPW so the full context "the Grapevine"  is used in can be seen:

https://archive.org/details/california193638highwacalirich/page/n113/mode/2up?q=Tejon

Seemingly this would solve part of the mystery of where "The Grapevine"  originated.  I'm planning on cycling through the rest of the CHPWs to see if I can find truncations in the definition of the Ridge Route from Los Angeles-Bakersfield and what else pops up with Grapevine.

[Max Rockatansky]

Interestingly the July/August 1949 CHPW did break up the Ridge Route and Grapevine Grade (also referred to as the Grapevine) into different operating segments of US 99.  The Ridge Route was defined as US 99 from the City Limit of Los Angeles north to the Kern County Line and the Grapevine Grade was defined as the Kern County Line to the floor of San Joaquin Valley.  The CHPW continues to refer to the Los Angeles-Kern County Line segment of Interstate 5 as the Ridge Route all the way up to when the publication ended in 1967.  I went through and put something together for the transition from the Ridge Route name to that of the Grapevine Grade/The Grapevine:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/03/when-did-people-begin-to-refer-to-ridge.html

[pderocco]

I have a feeling that referring to the entire section from Castaic as The Grapevine became more common after I-5 was built. People who didn't actually know the Grapevine Canyon name (and Canada de las Uvas before that) heard "Grapevine" and assumed it referred to the Castaic section where the two sides of the road swap. It does make a complete twist, which makes it more grapeviney than the road down into the canyon. The original name AFAIK referred to grapevines that grew in the canyon, not the character of the road.

[Max Rockatansky]

Also covered this topic on the Gribblenation Roadcast:

https://anchor.fm/gribblenation/episodes/When-did-people-begin-to-refer-to-the-Ridge-Route-as-The-Grapevine--former-US-Route-99-and-Interstate-5-e1fv6sp