Round Mountain Road is an approximately 19-mile highway located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains northeast of Bakersfield. Round Mountain Road begins at China Grade Loop at the Kern River near the site of Gordon's Ferry and terminates at Granite Road. The Round Mountain Road corridor incorporates parts of the 1850s-era stage route known as the Stockton-Los Angeles Road in the form of Gordon"˜s Ferry and Posey Station. Modern Round Mountain Road emerged following the discovery of the Kern River Oil Field during 1899 and the Round Mountain Oil Field during 1927.
https://www.gribblenation.org/2023/02/round-mountain-road.html?m=1
That's one of the nicer roads in that area. Not just a boring trip through endless grassland.
If you're in that area, you should do a page on Breckenridge Road. Although I don't know if it has any interesting history.
Quote from: pderocco on February 17, 2023, 02:19:57 AM
That's one of the nicer roads in that area. Not just a boring trip through endless grassland.
If you're in that area, you should do a page on Breckenridge Road. Although I don't know if it has any interesting history.
At least half of it was a stage road to the Democrat Mine in the Kern River Canyon. There also was some sawmills at the foot of Breckenridge Mountain which were accessed via Breckenridge Road. I never found any evidence that it connected to Havilah and Caliente-Bodfish Road until after 1935. Essentially from what I've seen on older maps is that Breckenridge Road fulfilled the role CA 178 does now between Bakersfield and the Kern River Valley during the late 19th century. I had Breckenridge Road on my list to do a couple years ago, but I apparently had forgotten about it.
Go in the spring. It'll be full of wildflowers (with luck).