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{{Infobox_nrhp | name =Old Santa Susana Stage Road
{{Infobox nrhp | name =Old Santa Susana Stage Road
| nrhp_type =
| nrhp_type =
| image = Old Stagecoach Trail Santa Susana3.png
| image = Old Stagecoach Trail Santa Susana3.png
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The '''Old Santa Susana Stage Road''' or '''Santa Susana Wagon Road''' is a route taken by early travellers between the [[San Fernando Valley]] and [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] near [[Chatsworth, California]] via the '''[[Santa Susana Pass]]'''. The main route climbs through what is now the '''[[Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park]]''', with a branch in Chatsworth Park South.
The '''Old Santa Susana Stage Road''' or '''Santa Susana Wagon Road''' is a route taken by early travellers between the [[San Fernando Valley]] and [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] near [[Chatsworth, California]] via the '''[[Santa Susana Pass]]'''. The main route climbs through what is now the '''[[Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park]]''', with a branch in Chatsworth Park South.


It was an important artery linking the [[Los Angeles Basin]] and inland [[Ventura County, California|Ventura county]], and was part of the main route for travel by [[stagecoach]] between Los Angeles and San Francisco from 1861 until the opening of rail traffic between the cities in 1876. The Old Santa Susana Stage Road is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. Part of the stage road is also a Historic-Cultural Monument of Ventura County and of the City of Los Angeles under the name '''Old Stagecoach Trail'''.
It was an important artery linking the [[Los Angeles Basin]] and inland [[Ventura County, California|Ventura county]], and was part of the main route for travel by [[stagecoach]] between Los Angeles and San Francisco from 1861 until the opening of rail traffic between the cities in 1876. The Old Santa Susana Stage Road is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. Part of the stage road is also a Historic-Cultural Monument of Ventura County and of the City of Los Angeles under the name '''Old Stagecoach Trail'''.


==History==
==History==


In 1859, the California Legislature appropriated $15,000 towards improving an old wagon road through the Santa Susana Pass. Additional funding was provided by the Counties of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. The outbreak of the [[American Civil War]] in 1861 disrupted mail service along the [[Butterfield Overland Mail]]'s southern stagecoach route from [[St. Louis, Missouri]] via [[El Paso]], [[Fort Yuma]] and [[Los Angeles]] and on to [[San Francisco]] via the [[Tejon Pass]], which had begun its run in 1858. To compensate, the government contracted the Butterfield Company to carry mail between Los Angeles and San Francisco via the new wagon road over the Santa Susana Pass. The first overland mail stage run through the pass took place on April 6, 1861.<ref name="SSP">{{cite book|last=Bevill|first=Arthur D.|title="Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park Cultural Resource Survey Historic Overview|url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/980/files/sspshp%20historic%20resources.pdf|year=2007}}</ref><ref name = "WTC">[http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.asp?trailid=HGS360-280 Old Stagecoach Trail at ''www.trails.com'']</ref><ref>Link, Tom: ''Universal City - North Hollywood, a Centenniel Portrait'', Windsor Publications, 1991, ISBN 0897813936, p. 25</ref> The new route diverged from the Tejon Pass route at the north end of the [[Cahuenga Pass]], following the old coast road (''El camino Viejo'', the former [[El Camino Real (California)|El Camino Real]] to [[Ventura, California| San Buenaventura (Ventura)]] and Santa Barbara) as far as the [[Rancho Los Encinos]] before striking northwest across the San Fernando Valley toward the Santa Susana Pass.<ref>The stagecoach routes can clearly be seen on period maps.</ref><ref name="SSP" />
In 1859, the California Legislature appropriated $15,000 towards improving an old wagon road through the Santa Susana Pass. Additional funding was provided by the Counties of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. The outbreak of the [[American Civil War]] in 1861 disrupted mail service along the [[Butterfield Overland Mail]]'s southern stagecoach route from [[St. Louis, Missouri]] via [[El Paso]], [[Fort Yuma]] and [[Los Angeles]] and on to [[San Francisco]] via the [[Tejon Pass]], which had begun its run in 1858. To compensate, the government contracted the Butterfield Company to carry mail between Los Angeles and San Francisco via the new wagon road over the Santa Susana Pass. The first overland mail stage run through the pass took place on April 6, 1861.<ref name="SSP">{{cite book|last=Bevill|first=Arthur D.|title=Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park Cultural Resource Survey Historic Overview|url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/980/files/sspshp%20historic%20resources.pdf|year=2007}}</ref><ref name = "WTC">[http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.asp?trailid=HGS360-280 Old Stagecoach Trail at ''www.trails.com'']</ref><ref>Link, Tom: ''Universal City - North Hollywood, a Centenniel Portrait'', Windsor Publications, 1991, ISBN 0897813936, p. 25</ref> The new route diverged from the Tejon Pass route at the north end of the [[Cahuenga Pass]], following the old coast road (''El camino Viejo'', the former [[El Camino Real (California)|El Camino Real]] to [[Ventura, California|San Buenaventura (Ventura)]] and Santa Barbara) as far as the [[Rancho Los Encinos]] before striking northwest across the San Fernando Valley toward the Santa Susana Pass.<ref name="SSP" /><ref>The stagecoach routes can clearly be seen on period maps.</ref>


[[File:Stage Route Rancho Encino to Santa Susana Pass Hall Map 1880.png|left|thumb|200px|1880 manuscript map of the western San Fernando Valley, with the stage route from Rancho Los Encinos to Santa Susana Pass (upper left) highlighted.]]
[[File:Stage Route Rancho Encino to Santa Susana Pass Hall Map 1880.png|left|thumb|200px|1880 manuscript map of the western San Fernando Valley, with the stage route from Rancho Los Encinos to Santa Susana Pass (upper left) highlighted.]]
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A new wagon route bypassing the deteriorating Devil's Slide was opened in 1895. Initially called ''El Camino Nuevo'' (the New Road), it was later named the Chatsworth Grade Road, which continued in use until Santa Susana Pass Road (now Old Santa Susana Pass Road) was built in 1917.<ref name="SSP" />
A new wagon route bypassing the deteriorating Devil's Slide was opened in 1895. Initially called ''El Camino Nuevo'' (the New Road), it was later named the Chatsworth Grade Road, which continued in use until Santa Susana Pass Road (now Old Santa Susana Pass Road) was built in 1917.<ref name="SSP" />


[[File:Old Santa Susana Stage Road NRHP Map.png|right|thumb|200px|Map of the Stage Road NRHP property (shaded) within Santa Susana State Historic Park. The stage road is shown in red, and a star marks the location of the 1937 commemorative plaque at the base of the Devil's Slide.]]
[[File:Old Santa Susana Stage Road NRHP Map.png|right|thumb|200px|Map of the Stage Road NRHP property (shaded) within Santa Susana State Historic Park. The stage road is shown in red, and a star marks the location of the 1937 commemorative plaque at the base of the Devil's Slide.]]
Hikers in the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park can still see the deep ruts made by the wagons on the 'Devil's Slide' section. A plaque was embedded into the sandstone rock by the Native Daughters of the Golden West in 1937, commemorating the Old Santa Susana Stage Road.<ref name = "WTC"/><ref name="SSP" />
Hikers in the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park can still see the deep ruts made by the wagons on the 'Devil's Slide' section. A plaque was embedded into the sandstone rock by the Native Daughters of the Golden West in 1937, commemorating the Old Santa Susana Stage Road.<ref name="SSP" /><ref name = "WTC"/>


A branch of the [[Santa Susana Pass]] stagecoach road was designated as [[Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument]] #92, 'The Old Stagecoach Trail', by the City of Los Angeles on January 5, 1972. A 174-acre parcel containing the stagecoach road was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1974. The stage route was also declared Ventura County Historical Landmark #104 on October 24, 1986.<ref name="SSP" /><ref name="Plan">{{cite book|author=California Department of Parks and Recreation|title=Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park Preliminary General Plan/Draft EIR|url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/21299/files/chapter%201%20introduction(1).pdf|year=2007}}</ref> <ref name="nris"/>
A branch of the [[Santa Susana Pass]] stagecoach road was designated as [[Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument]] #92, 'The Old Stagecoach Trail', by the City of Los Angeles on January 5, 1972. A 174-acre parcel containing the stagecoach road was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1974. The stage route was also declared Ventura County Historical Landmark #104 on October 24, 1986.<ref name="nris"/><ref name="SSP" /><ref name="Plan">{{cite book|author=California Department of Parks and Recreation|title=Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park Preliminary General Plan/Draft EIR|url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/21299/files/chapter%201%20introduction(1).pdf|year=2007}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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[[Category:History of the San Fernando Valley|Santa Susana Pass]]
[[Category:History of the San Fernando Valley|Santa Susana Pass]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in the United States]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in the United States]]
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[[Category:Trails and roads in the American Old West]]
[[Category:Trails and roads in the American Old West]]
[[Category:San Fernando Valley]]
[[Category:San Fernando Valley]]

[[Category:Infrastructure-related listings on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Infrastructure-related listings on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Trails and roads in the American Old West]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in California]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in the United States]]
[[Category:California Historical Landmarks]]
[[Category:California Historical Landmarks]]
[[Category:Landmarks in California]]
[[Category:Landmarks in California]]

Revision as of 11:11, 15 October 2010

Old Santa Susana Stage Road
A portion of the Old Santa Susana Stage Road
Nearest cityChatsworth, California
Built1861
NRHP reference No.74000517
Added to NRHPJanuary 10, 1974[1]

The Old Santa Susana Stage Road or Santa Susana Wagon Road is a route taken by early travellers between the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley near Chatsworth, California via the Santa Susana Pass. The main route climbs through what is now the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, with a branch in Chatsworth Park South.

It was an important artery linking the Los Angeles Basin and inland Ventura county, and was part of the main route for travel by stagecoach between Los Angeles and San Francisco from 1861 until the opening of rail traffic between the cities in 1876. The Old Santa Susana Stage Road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Part of the stage road is also a Historic-Cultural Monument of Ventura County and of the City of Los Angeles under the name Old Stagecoach Trail.

History

In 1859, the California Legislature appropriated $15,000 towards improving an old wagon road through the Santa Susana Pass. Additional funding was provided by the Counties of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 disrupted mail service along the Butterfield Overland Mail's southern stagecoach route from St. Louis, Missouri via El Paso, Fort Yuma and Los Angeles and on to San Francisco via the Tejon Pass, which had begun its run in 1858. To compensate, the government contracted the Butterfield Company to carry mail between Los Angeles and San Francisco via the new wagon road over the Santa Susana Pass. The first overland mail stage run through the pass took place on April 6, 1861.[2][3][4] The new route diverged from the Tejon Pass route at the north end of the Cahuenga Pass, following the old coast road (El camino Viejo, the former El Camino Real to San Buenaventura (Ventura) and Santa Barbara) as far as the Rancho Los Encinos before striking northwest across the San Fernando Valley toward the Santa Susana Pass.[2][5]

1880 manuscript map of the western San Fernando Valley, with the stage route from Rancho Los Encinos to Santa Susana Pass (upper left) highlighted.

The precipitous portion of the route down from the summit on the San Fernando Valley side was called the Devil's Slide; horses were usually blindfolded and chains were used to augment brakes on the steep descent. Passengers debarked and walked.[2]

The Santa Susana Pass Road continued in use as an alternative to the route along El Camino Viejo from 1861 to 1875, replacing the older road as the main route between Los Angeles and San Francisco. William E. Lovett acquired the mail contract in 1867 and carried mail and passengers via the Santa Susana Pass and between Los Angeles and San Diego. In 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad opened a tunnel through the Newhall Pass, enabling rail connections from Los Angeles north to San Francisco, and rail travel soon replaced travel by stagecoach between Los Angeles and San Francisco. From this time the stagecoach traffic to Santa Barbara once again used the coast route, and the Santa Susana Pass road was relegated to local traffic.[2]

A new wagon route bypassing the deteriorating Devil's Slide was opened in 1895. Initially called El Camino Nuevo (the New Road), it was later named the Chatsworth Grade Road, which continued in use until Santa Susana Pass Road (now Old Santa Susana Pass Road) was built in 1917.[2]

Map of the Stage Road NRHP property (shaded) within Santa Susana State Historic Park. The stage road is shown in red, and a star marks the location of the 1937 commemorative plaque at the base of the Devil's Slide.

Hikers in the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park can still see the deep ruts made by the wagons on the 'Devil's Slide' section. A plaque was embedded into the sandstone rock by the Native Daughters of the Golden West in 1937, commemorating the Old Santa Susana Stage Road.[2][3]

A branch of the Santa Susana Pass stagecoach road was designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #92, 'The Old Stagecoach Trail', by the City of Los Angeles on January 5, 1972. A 174-acre parcel containing the stagecoach road was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The stage route was also declared Ventura County Historical Landmark #104 on October 24, 1986.[1][2][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Bevill, Arthur D. (2007). Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park Cultural Resource Survey Historic Overview (PDF).
  3. ^ a b Old Stagecoach Trail at www.trails.com
  4. ^ Link, Tom: Universal City - North Hollywood, a Centenniel Portrait, Windsor Publications, 1991, ISBN 0897813936, p. 25
  5. ^ The stagecoach routes can clearly be seen on period maps.
  6. ^ California Department of Parks and Recreation (2007). Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park Preliminary General Plan/Draft EIR (PDF).
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