Medford mail tribune., September 15, 1963, Image 9

The Freeway Through the Canyon
By DORIS ROBINSON
Mail Tribune Correspondent
YREKA When traveling the beautiful highway through
the Sacramento canyon between Redding and Yreka meeting
or passing trucks and trailers hauling freight and refrigerated
food, the thought may have occurred about what it might have
been like 100 years ago.
When Siskiyou was first settled, the nearest approach to
a road was the old Hudson's Bay trail, leading up the Sacra
mento river through Shasta valley, across the Klamath, and
over the Siskiyous into Oregon. Wagons had never been over
the trail, except six that came as far as Wagon valley in
1849. From there to Sacramento valley a wagon wheel had
never made a track.
Prospectors came down from Oregon, up to the Sacra
mento river and over Trinity, Scott and Salmon mountains
with pack mules carrying their provisions and tools.
When gold was discovered in Yreka, these trains started
for Shasta for supplies. From that time until 185B, the only
means of transporting goods was by pack-train. Because of
the rugged Sacramento river canyon, travel from Yreka was
routed over to Ft. Jones and Etna to Callahan, over the moun
tain to Weaverville and Trinity and then to Redding.
It was back in 1837 that Michael LaFamboise pioneered
the first trail which later became the accepted highway of
commerce. In 1841, Navy Lt. George F. Emmons, a member
of the official U.S. Government Around the World Exploration
party under Lt. Charles Wilkes, explored and mapped this
trail from San Francisco Bay to the mouth of the Columbia
river.
Willard and Norton Stone of New Lebanon, 111., were re
sponsible for building the first road into Siskiyou county up
the Sacramento river canyon. They arrived in Siskiyou county
in 1854. Willard and Norton Stone and their father, Elias
Stone, formed the Soda Springs and Pit River Turnpike Road
company to construct a toll road in the Sacramento river
canyon in 1859.
The road began near Lower Soda Springs near the Shasla-
Siskiyou county line. The ruggedness of the canyon caused
the road to be steep in many places. Where it was possible
the river was bridged and where there were high bluffs the
road either went over or around them, but it followed the
river most of the way.
There were seven bridges, made of trees cut along the
river which were heavy, green, and hard to handle. Some
trees had to be floated down the river to the bridge site,
then taken from the river and to the foundations. The bridges
were built higher than the highest watermark, on the advice
of the oldest Indians, yet in the floods of 1861-62 all but two
of them were washed away.
Families Moving Southward
As worked progressed on the road, the Stone families kept
moving southward. The road followed the Sacramento river
to Pollock, now under water by Lake Shasta, then eastward
to the McCloud river, along the west bank of the McCloud to
its junction with the Pit, and along the Pit for a short distance
to where the ferry was located, which is now the site of the
present highway-railroad bridge.
Elias Stone mortgaged everything he had, but was unable
to raise enough funds to continue after the flood. He and his
sons sold their interest to Dr. Autenrieth of Yreka, who op
erated the toll road for several years until it was bought by
the county.
The road was narrow, and there were stretches of steep
mountain on one side and the swift river on the other, hun
dreds of feet below.
The bridges were without rails, just split timber on beams
spanning deep ravines. Generally a man would cither walk
or ride ahead of the wagons and warn of the approach of
another wagon team. Sometimes wagons would meet unex
pectedly, and passing or backing up almost was impossible.
The only thing they could do was unload one wagon, set it
as far to one side as possible, and let the other wagon
squeeze by with inches to spare.
Had to Contend With Indians
Not only did the road builders and packers have difficulty
cutting their way through the mountains, but they also had
Features
MEDFORD,
Sports
S&JTRIBUNE
SECTION B
MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. 1963 PAGES 1 to 10
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The highway through the Sacramento river canyon near Swectbrier before construction of the
freeway is shown in this picture.
to contend with Indians. Some were friendly, others decidedly
not.
One instance tells of an Indian attack at Sugar Loaf moun
tain in March, 1853, when a party of about 21) men engaged
in a fight with Indians. Another party of whites came upon
the battle and reported that the mountain was literally alive
with Indians, who had selected a position where they had
the advantage over the whites.
Not wanting to get into the fight, the party unpacked the
mules and made their way over the mountain, leaving the
men to fight their own way out and escape. Sugar Loaf Moun
tain is 25 miles north of Redding.
Snow was another hardship road builders had to face. A
news item in the Yreka Journal in March, 1869, read:
Road Opens for Teaming
"The Sacramento River Road U now open for teaming,
the proprietor L. Autenreilh, having sent down a lot of
mules to break a body of snow a short distance below Soda
Springs, which was the only barrier existing between this
place and Red Bluff. Two teamsters loaded at Red Bluff for
this place last Tuesday, and will probably arrive here the
last of next week."
By 1886, stages and the railroad were running through the
canyon and mail, freight and passengers were getting through
except when the winter weather brought deep snows and the
river was too high to cross. As time went on, roads were
improved and regular travel was established.
In 1914, the road was in bad condition because of lack of
maintenance, and became impassable for long periods of
time. Traffic had to be diverted over longer routes. Such
were conditions in the Sacramento river canyon when the
California highway commission was formed.
The first duty of T. A. Bedford, district engineer of the
newly formed District 11, was to make recommendations
as to the best route between Redding in the central valley
and Yreka on the northern plateau,
Bedford Rules Out Itnute
In 1913, there was considerable agitation for this route
to he constructed west from Redding through French Gulch,
Trinity Center, Cairville over Scott mountain, through Ft.
Jones to Yreka. Bedford ruled out this route, and between
1914 and 1919 construction of the road between Redding
and Dunsmuir was carried on at a feverish pace.
Some of the difficulties facing early contractors, also were
encountered laler. The crooked alignment resulted in curves
as sharp as a 20-foot radius, and many grades were up to
20 per cent.
From 1923 to 1929, surfacing and realignment contracts
were let on this portion of the route, even to the extent
of paving two portions with concrete. But for the most part,
surfacing consisted of gravel, which the maintenance depart
ment later oiled.
With the advent of the Shasta Dam, it was necessary to
relocate 19.5 miles of highway through rough terrain, it follows
the old Oregon Trail road. It is an improved two-lane section
and contains some of the heaviest grading undertaken on a
two-lane highway in District II. It was completed in 1943 and
is still traversed by the traveling public.
Need of Improvement
Following World War II, it was apparent that older por
tions of the highway in the canyon would need improve
ment. In 1951 a special projects section was organized in
District II to begin preliminary studies and prepare plans for
the realignment and reconstruction of Highway 99 in the Sac
ramento river canyon to a multilanc facility.
Once again it was discovered the same problems were still
there, namely the river, the Southern Pacific railroad, and
the springy unstable areas. Ry 1954, the first section was
started, beginning at Dog Creek near the head of Shasta lake,
and each successive year as more funds became available,
additional sections were lot to contract.
The section between the north end of Shasta lake and
Dunsmuir has now been completed, providing 30 miles of
freeway and expressway through the scenic canyon.
Rain Causes Numerous Slides
The heavy rainfall in 1955-56 caused numerous slides and
one slip-out of a major fill. These were corrected by instal
lation of horizontal drains and the shifting of the line into
the hill. Then in 1957-58, it became apparent that more exten
sive measures of correction would be necessary to stabilize
the foundations for the deep fills.
It took numerous auger borings to determine the under
ground conditions and many consultations with the mate
rials and research department to correct the conditions. The
remedies were then made a part of the design for the remain
ing three projects in the canyon.
Another problem occurred in the area of Dunsmuir when
It became necessary to eliminate the hazards of runaway
trucks through Dunsmuir. This was accomplished by the de
sign on the basis of a full freeway. At one place in the canyon,
it became necessary to move the main line of the Southern
Pacific railroad and construct a new channel for the Sacra
mento river. Other places required deep cuts and large fills.
Work is continuing at present on the conversion of the
two lane highway around Shasta lake to modern four-lane
standards. When this work is completed, the section between
the Pit river bridge and the completed work in the canyon,
a distance of approximately 14 miles, new contracts will he
let.
Travelers will be able In go between Redding and Yrrka
In less than two hours, when it used to lake dust covered
travelers two days.
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This view shows Interstate 5 in the Sacramento river canyon in the Dunsmuir area. Dunsmuir
is in the middle of picture, with Mt. Shns a in the background.
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This concrete arch bridge along Interstate 5 between Redding and Yreka has been replaced
with a six-foot reinforced concrete arch.
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This view shows the same section of the highway through lh Sacramento river canyon near Sweelhrier after construction of
Interstate 5. The Sweetbner interchange is in the background. (Pictures by the division of highways of California.)
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Imking north along Interstate 5 In the Sacramento river canyon, Castle Crags State park is visible on the left with Caslella
and the old highway visible on the right.
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