Crossing the Mojave Desert on a Road No One Can Explain

[jander]

[Max Rockatansky]

I listened to that last night.  That seems pretty clearly like a telephone pole line road which never fulfilled the purpose it was built for.

[pderocco]

Maybe, but the desert is filled with long straight roads (maybe not quite that long) that are on some mysterious diagonal. Edwards has lots of them, Fort Irwin, China Lake, and so on.

[tawnuskgrevy]

I listened to that last night.  That seems pretty clearly like a telephone pole line road which never fulfilled the purpose it was built for.

I haven't watched the video yet (planning on taking a look this weekend), but Historic Aerials has that road showing up on topo maps beginning in 1943 as an unlabeled line, also on the 1945 and 1949 maps, given a new label as "Telephone" on 1958, 1965, and 1975 maps, and removed entirely from the 1993 map. Looks like you're spot-on!

Here's a snippet from the 1958 map on the east side of Palmdale just north of Piute Butte:

[pderocco]

Here's a viewer that doesn't charge you money for USGS quads without copyright overlays:

https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer

[Mapmikey]

This site has a map reported as 1933 that shows it, running near an old airfield:  https://www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_Mojave.htm#cuddeback

[kphoger]

Sounds like crossing the Mojave Desert on a road that multiple people can explain. 

[pderocco]

This site has a map reported as 1933 that shows it, running near an old airfield:  https://www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_Mojave.htm#cuddeback

That's Cuddeback Rd, much further north. The 1915 USGS quad shows it running from the center of Mojave to Blackwater Well at the right edge of the map you posted. Today, parts of it are obliterated by the Mojave Airport and California City, but it's the paved 20 Mule Team Pkwy between California City and the San Bernardino Co line. Another road to puzzle about why it was built. Seems a long way to go from Mojave for a drink of water.

[Max Rockatansky]

Sounds like crossing the Mojave Desert on a road that multiple people can explain. 

For me the question "why is this road here?" has spurred many a day trip.  I like this guy's videos since he follows a similar process of deduction as I do for obscure rural corridors.  He's out of San Diego but on occasion pops up in my area.  He did something on the Pollasky Bridge near Friant which included Millerton and the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.   

[tawnuskgrevy]

Here's a viewer that doesn't charge you money for USGS quads without copyright overlays:

https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer

This is extremely useful, thank you so much! Had no idea this viewer existed.