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The steep grade and many switchbacks of the Grapevine made it one of the most treacherous spots on the Ridge Route for many truckers.

RUNNING THE t was a hot summer afternoon that August in 1921 as the
old Teamster left the packing plant at Lindsey, Calif., with
a heavy load of olives. He was heading south down the great
San Joaquin Valley to Los Angeles. Checking his pocket
watch, he hoped to get to Bakersfield and through town be-
fore the evening traffic. He could then continue on to Greenfield,
about another 10 miles south where it was easier to park a rig and
grab a bite to eat.
He thought to himself how only seven years ago he would have
had to take the Midway Route due east from Bakersfield over to
A TRUCKER'S JOURNEY Mojave, then cut back south taking one of the canyon passes to
gain entrance to Los Angeles and southern California. The Mid-
OVER CALIFORNIA'S way Route was like a giant "dog leg" that took you way out of your
INFAMOUS RIDGE ROUTE way from the direct route over the mountains that the Ridge Route
now provided.
Story and photos by The best minds back then said it was impossible to conquer the
HARRISON IRVING SCOTT Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountains with a road. The Califor-
nia Division of Highways decided to put the controversy to rest
once and for all, and sent a group of engineers to Europe to see
how England, France and other countries dealt with the building
Editor's note: The following is a dramatized account of of mountain roads. The information they came home with indi-
what a trip might have been like for a trucker in the early
1920s over the Ridge Route, California's first mountain cated it was feasible to consider a route over the mountains.
highway. Author Harrison Scott used excerpts and After additional research, construction began in 1914, and a
photos from his book, "Ridge Route, The Road That year later the new oil and gravel Ridge Route opened. The San
United California," to tell this tale. Scott was one of the Francisco Chronicle called it "one of the most remarkable engi-
speakers at the 2004 ATHS National Convention and
Antique Truck Show in Fontana, Calif., this past May. neering feats accomplished by the State Highway Commission."
To order the book, contact the author at 310-320-3205, When the road opened, it silenced efforts in the making to

40 September/October 2004 www.aths.org / WHEELS OF TIME