Pacheco Pass

Pacheco Pass
Pacheco Pass
Elevation	1,368 ft (417 m)
Traversed by	SR 152
Location	Santa Clara County, California, U.S.
Range	California Coast Ranges
Coordinates	37°3′59″N 121°13′7″W / 37.06639°N 121.21861°W
	The pass lies east of Gilroy and west of Los Banos
California Historical Landmark
Reference no.	829

Pacheco Pass, elevation 1,368 ft (417 m), is a low mountain pass located in the Diablo Range in southeastern Santa Clara County, California. It is the main route through the hills separating the Santa Clara Valley and the Central Valley.

As with most passes in the

SR 1 in Watsonville and SR 99. Pacheco Pass Road, the western section between Gilroy and the pass itself (a distance of approximately 14 miles), is a two-lane highway from Gilroy to the junction with SR 156 and a four-lane highway over the pass; it has been the site of many accidents.^[2]

Names

Californio

ranchero whose lands were situated on the pass.

The pass was named for Don

Californio ranchero and owner of the Rancho Ausaymas y San Felipe.^[3] In the 1850s, an informal variant name for the pass was Robber's Pass attributed to the frequent hold-ups experienced by travelers using the route.^[4]

History

A trail nearby, through what is now

San Francisco from 1858 until 1861.^[6]

Other stage lines used the route thereafter until completion of the railroads within the state.

Pacheco Pass is registered as California Historical Landmark #829.^[1]

Nearby features

There are no major communities between Gilroy in the Santa Clara Valley and Los Banos in the Central Valley. There are no other major crossings of the Diablo range farther south until they are crossed again by California State Route 198 at an unnamed pass some 75 miles (121 km) to the south. The next highway crossing of the range to the north is on California State Route 130 over Mount Hamilton, approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the north, but this is much less heavily used than the Altamont Pass even farther north.

On the west side of the pass lies

Renaissance Faire, which takes place in September and October each year.^[8] A rural locale named Bell Station

also lies along the route, between Casa de Fruta and the pass.

On the eastern slope of the pass lies the

pumped storage hydroelectric plant.^[9] The roadway entrances to the San Luis Reservoir state recreational area and Pacheco State Park

require caution entering or exiting because there are no stop signs or traffic lights and two lanes of heavy traffic in each direction.

windfarm with 162 turbines located at the top of the pass that can be seen from Dinosaur Point Road. It is being repowered to 147 MW with a 50 MW / 200 MWh grid battery.^[11]

The Pacheco Pass American Viticultural Area is nearby.^[12]

California High-Speed Rail

Pacheco Pass has been selected as the route that the

Pacheco Pass Tunnels, which upon completion are expected to become North America's longest rail tunnels.^[15]^[16]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Pacheco Pass". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
^ "The Ghosts of South Valley are Among us". Gilroy Dispatch. October 13, 2007.
ISBN 9781884995187
.

^ Shumate, Albert (1977). Francisco Pacheco of Pacheco Pass. University of the Pacific.

San Jose Mercury-News. Archived from the original
on March 29, 2015.

^ "California – Interesting from Washington Territory – Progress of the Indian War. Arrival of the Overland Mail Itinerary of the Route" (PDF). The New York Times. October 14, 1858. Retrieved 2012-09-09.

^ "Gourmet Dried Fruit, Chocolate Covered Fruit, Gift Baskets, Healthy Fruit, Pomegranate Wine, Mesquite Flour at Casa de Fruta". Retrieved 2012-09-09.

^ Northern California Renaissance Faire website, accessed 2022-09-01.

^ ^a ^b "Station Meta Data: San Luis Reservoir (Federal)". Retrieved 2012-09-09.

^ Pacheco State Park

^ "Repowered California wind farm will produce 9 times the power". Windpower Engineering & Development. 8 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.

^ Appellation America (2007). "Pacheco Pass (AVA): Appellation Description". Retrieved Jan. 24, 2008.

^ Nelson, Erik N. (December 20, 2007). "Rail authority likes Pacheco train route". Oakland Tribune. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015.

^ Sheehan, Tim (2014-07-24). "Appellate court upholds environmental work for high-speed rail via Pacheco Pass". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2017-08-27.

^ Meacham, Jody (2017-06-14). "What's under Pacheco Pass and what's it mean for California high-speed rail?". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 2017-08-27.

^ Meachan, Jody (2017-01-30). "High-speed rail considers 2 record-setting options for Pacheco Pass tunnel". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 2017-08-27.

External links

San Luis Reservoir state recreational area webpage

v
t
e
Butterfield Overland Mail 1st Division Stations

San Francisco – Western terminus and 1st Division headquarters, located in downtown San Francisco.

Clarks's Station – Located 12 miles south of San Francisco in what is now San Bruno.

Sun Water Station – Located 9 miles south of Clarks Station in what is now San Mateo.

Redwood City
– Located 9 miles south of Sun Water Station.

Mountain View Station – Located 12 miles south of Redwood City.

San Jose Station – Located 11 miles south of Mountain View Station in the city of San Jose.

Seventeen Mile House – Located 17 miles south of San Jose.

Gilroy Station – Located 13 miles south of Seventeen Mile House in what is now Gilroy, California
.

Pacheco Pass Station – Located 18 miles east of Gilroy near the top of Pacheco Pass.

St. Louis Ranch – Located 17 miles east of Pacheco Pass.

Lone Willow Station – Located 18 miles east of St. Louis Ranch near Los Banos.

Temple's Ranch – Located 13 miles southeast of Lone Willow Station near Dos Palos.

Firebaugh's Ferry – Located 15 miles southeast of Temples Ranch, on the San Joaquin River.

Fresno City – Located 19 miles southeast of Firebaugh's Ferry.

Elkhorn Spring Station – Located 22 miles east of Fresno City near present-day Riverdale.

Whitmore's Ferry – Located 17 miles southeast of Elkhorn Spring Station on the Kings River.

Head of Cross Creek Station – Located 15 miles southeast of Whitmore's Ferry.

Visalia – Located 12 miles southeast of Cross Creek Station.

Packwood Station
– Located 12 miles east of Visalia.

Tule River Station – Located 14 miles south of Packwood Station.

Fountain Spring Station – Located 14 miles southeast of Tule River Station.

Mountain House – Located 12 miles south of Fountain Spring Station.

Posey Creek Station – Located 15 miles southwest of Mountain House, on Posey (Poso) Creek.

Gordon's Ferry (Kern River Station) – Located 10 miles south of Posey Creek Station on the Kern River just above present-day Bakersfield.

Kern River Slough Station
– Located 12 miles south of Gordons Ferry.

Sink of Tejon Station – Located 14 miles southwest of Kern River Slough Station.

Fort Tejon – Located 15 miles southwest of Sink of Tejon Station, north of and below the summit of Tejon Pass.

Reed's Station – Located 8 miles southeast of Fort Tejon, near, to the south of the summit of the Tejon Pass.

French John's Station – Located 14 miles east southeast of Reeds Station, in the vicinity of the mouth of Cow Springs Creek Canyon.

Mud Spring, a later station operating in 1860, 14 miles east from French Johns and 13 miles north from Clayton's Station (formerly Widow Smith's Station). [1]

Widow Smith's Station (Clayton's Station, Major Gordon's Station) – Located 24 miles from French John's Station, in upper San Francisquito Canyon near Green Valley.

King's Station – Located 10 miles south of Widow Smith's Station in lower San Francisquito Canyon.

Hart's Station or Lyons Station – Located 12 miles south of King's Station, in Santa Clarita.

Lopez Station – Located 81⁄2 miles southeast of Hart's Station, in the San Fernando Valley north of Mission San Fernando Rey de España.

Cahuenga Station – Located 12 miles southeast of Mission San Fernando, in Cahuenga Pass, of the Santa Monica Mountains. The first station of the 1st Division, it was located 12 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Source: "List of Butterfield Overland Mail Stations "Itinerary of the Route"" (PDF). New York Times. October 14, 1858.

[1] Notes of a Trip to Los Angeles No. 1, Daily Alta California, Volume 12, Number 3888, 5 October 1860 — Page 1

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pacheco_Pass&oldid=1217122756"

[CHL-1] "Pacheco Pass". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

[2] "The Ghosts of South Valley are Among us". Gilroy Dispatch. October 13, 2007.

[3] ISBN 9781884995187
.

[4] Shumate, Albert (1977). Francisco Pacheco of Pacheco Pass. University of the Pacific.

[5] San Jose Mercury-News. Archived from the original
on March 29, 2015.

[6] "California – Interesting from Washington Territory – Progress of the Indian War. Arrival of the Overland Mail Itinerary of the Route" (PDF). The New York Times. October 14, 1858. Retrieved 2012-09-09.

[casadefruta-7] "Gourmet Dried Fruit, Chocolate Covered Fruit, Gift Baskets, Healthy Fruit, Pomegranate Wine, Mesquite Flour at Casa de Fruta". Retrieved 2012-09-09.

[8] Northern California Renaissance Faire website, accessed 2022-09-01.

[calwater-9] "Station Meta Data: San Luis Reservoir (Federal)". Retrieved 2012-09-09.

[10] Pacheco State Park

[11] "Repowered California wind farm will produce 9 times the power". Windpower Engineering & Development. 8 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.

[12] Appellation America (2007). "Pacheco Pass (AVA): Appellation Description". Retrieved Jan. 24, 2008.

[13] Nelson, Erik N. (December 20, 2007). "Rail authority likes Pacheco train route". Oakland Tribune. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015.

[14] Sheehan, Tim (2014-07-24). "Appellate court upholds environmental work for high-speed rail via Pacheco Pass". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2017-08-27.

[:0-15] Meacham, Jody (2017-06-14). "What's under Pacheco Pass and what's it mean for California high-speed rail?". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 2017-08-27.

[:1-16] Meachan, Jody (2017-01-30). "High-speed rail considers 2 record-setting options for Pacheco Pass tunnel". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 2017-08-27.

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Names

History

Nearby features

California High-Speed Rail

See also

References

External links