CA 53

[Max Rockatansky]

While researching the history of CA 29 I noted that it absorbed CA 53 south of Lower Lake during the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.  It turns out CA 53 has an interesting back story which involves an unbuilt highway (Legislative Route 50) which was intended to follow Cache Creek from Lower Lake eastward to Rumsey.  CA 53 was not among the initial Sign State Highways in 1934 and first appeared on the 1938 Division of Highways State Map.  CA 53 was initially aligned from Middle Town north to CA 20 via Lower Lake.  CA 53 appears to have become a desirable place to put a Sign State Highway following the clarification of Legislative Route 49 and 50 during 1935.  CA 53 had an interesting early alignment between CA 20 and Lower Lake which ended up being replaced during the 1950s. 

https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/07/california-state-route-53.html

[M3100]

From what I can tell, the realignment of the route north of the town of Lower lake was due to improving the highway (reducing sharp turns) and it was not driven by a change in the lake waterline/level.

[Max Rockatansky]

From what I can tell, the realignment of the route north of the town of Lower lake was due to improving the highway (reducing sharp turns) and it was not driven by a change in the lake waterline/level.

That elevation likely wouldn't change all that much given Clear Lake has an outflow via Cache Creek.  Cache Creek some years can be very fast flowing, my wife likes to raft out there just off CA 16.  The current form of CA 53 seemingly just a routine Division of Highways move to widen/straighten the alignment.   Ogulin Canyon Road (Old 53) apparently isn't even a public road anymore. 

[sparker]

According to old-hand DOH lore, the Rumsey-Lower Lake route following Cache Creek was a 1930's-era concept intended to extend the SSR 16 signed route all the way to US 101 via what was to, after 1964, become CA 29 from Lower Lake to Lakeport and then LRN 16 (now the NW end of CA 175) west from there.  But because of the potential for flooding, the eastern section was deleted from the plans and SSR 16 simply shunted up to SSR/CA 20 as it is today.  The SSR 29/SSR 53 arrangement, with the former occupying LRN 89 and the latter the continuation of LRN 49 was deployed back then as well; it wasn't until the LRN 243 E-W route along the south side of Clear Lake was built in the early '60's that the current arrangement, which took the CA 29 through/truck route off the narrow and windy CA 175 alignment via Cobb, was formalized with the '64 statewide renumbering.