Travelers forsook the county road in 1923 when the state opened up the newly completed Highway 152. That year, Santa Clara County and Merced County built a graded dirt county road that wound through Pacheco Pass’s pasture lands.
PACHECO PASS TRAFFIC CONDITIONS FREE
That decision left Pacheco Pass free of train tracks.īy 1878, Firebaugh abandoned his road. Officials, however, chose to fix the terminus in Sacramento. In the 1860s, plans were discussed to extend the transcontinental railroad through the pass to eventually end in Monterey and San Francisco. Firebaugh’s toll house stood at the summit. It was used primarily by stagecoaches carrying passengers and overland mail. Travelers grew so numerous that in 1856, San Joaquin Valley pioneer Andrew David Firebaugh built a toll road. The discovery of California’s gold in 1848 brought more traffic to Pacheco Pass as coastal Californians made their way across it to the promise of instant riches in the Sierras. People began calling the pass “Pacheco” after him. Through hard work, his rancho real estate eventually extended from Gilroy to San Juan Bautista to parts of the pass.
Born in 1790 in Guadalajara, Mexico, he arrived in Monterey as a poor wagon maker. He became the first white man to cut across it to scout out the San Jouquin Valley beyond.Īfter Spanish rule ended and the Mexican era began, Don Francisco Pacheco became one of the wealthiest land owners of old California. Gabriel Moraga led a military expedition from the San Francisco Presidio. Starting in the 1770s when the Spanish began colonizing Alta California, many Native Americans used the mountain pass as their escape to freedom from the brutal conditions of California’s missions – such as the one at San Juan Bautista.Įuropeans didn’t truly discover the pass until 1805 when Spanish explorer Lt. For thousands of years, indigenous people such as the Ohlones used the pass as a major commerce route for their extensive tribal trading network. Starting perhaps 10,000 years ago, the original immigrants to California – the Native Americans – first ventured across the scenic mountain pass to discover the coastal range of our South Valley region. There was a time when it provided a much more leisurely traveler’s crossing. I’ll confess that needle has rocketed well past the posted speed limit as I accelerate to make up for lost time.īut Pacheco Pass wasn’t always a headache. After a couple of hours of stop-and-go through mile after winding mile of tanned grassland, I make it by the Y bottleneck and sigh with relief as my speedometer needle climbs. And like other travelers, I’ve found myself gritting my teeth as my wheels slowly inch forward at a tortoise tempo. Like countless travelers, I’ve found myself caught in the traffic trap of the Y during trips to the Central Valley.
This perilous junction point has caused many a traffic backup in recent years – and many a life lost. Arnold Schwarzenegger met with local leaders and citizens at Casa de Fruta to discuss building a flyover at the Don Pacheco Y. I bet Don Francisco Perez Pacheco would be amazed how the junction bearing his name could cause such a commotion. It’s the “Y” – that notorious Highway 152/156 intersection frequently fussed about by frustrated folks. I bet Don Francisco Perez Pacheco wouldīe amazed how the junction bearing his name could cause such a – that notorious Highway 152/156 intersection frequently fussedĪbout by frustrated folks.
0 kommentar(er)
