ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) – A stretch of Old Highway 99 through Arbuckle will carry a historic designation recognizing a roadway that once formed part of one of the West Coast’s major transportation corridors.
The Colusa County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 25 designated the county-maintained portion of Old Highway 99 through Arbuckle as Historic Route 99. The board also approved a proclamation recognizing the highway’s role in the community’s development and authorized the installation of two historic route signs.
Before Interstate 5, U.S. Highway 99 served as a principal north-south route through California and the Sacramento Valley. The highway connected communities, agricultural areas and major cities while carrying travelers through towns such as Arbuckle.
U.S. Highway 99 was established in 1926 as part of the original U.S. highway system and became known in California as the “Main Street of California.” The route originally extended from Blaine, Washington, at the Canadian border to El Centro before reaching Calexico and the Mexican border in 1932.
At its height, U.S. 99 stretched nearly 1,500 miles from Canada to Mexico. Through California’s Central Valley, the highway became an important route for agriculture, commerce and travel.
That role also shaped communities along its path.
“The community of Arbuckle grew and prospered along this important transportation corridor,” the county’s proclamation states, adding that Old Highway 99 remains “a visible reminder of the community’s rich transportation heritage.”
The rise of the interstate highway system eventually brought an end to U.S. 99. California began decommissioning portions of the highway in the 1960s, with the remainder of the U.S. 99 designation in the state removed by 1965. Portions of the former route became part of Interstate 5 and other state highways, while other sections remained as local roads.
California formally recognized the former U.S. 99 corridor as a historic route in 1993 through Assembly Concurrent Resolution 19. The designation allowed historic signs to be placed along surviving portions of the former highway using money from sources other than the state.
In Arbuckle, part of that former alignment remains Old Highway 99.
The latest designation follows a request from the Arbuckle Revitalization Committee, which purchased and donated two Historic Route 99 signs for placement at the north and south entrances to the community.
The Board of Supervisors also recognized the Arbuckle Revitalization Committee for its work to preserve local history.
The proclamation credits the committee with an “ongoing commitment to preserving, enhancing, and celebrating the history and character of the Arbuckle community through numerous community improvement and beautification efforts.”