CALIFORNIA + OREGON · A ROAD HISTORY PROJECT
Before the interstate.
Along Highway 99.
Discover the towns, old pavement, and changing routes of historic US Highway 99 through California and Oregon.
FOLLOW THE OLD ROAD
One highway.
Many journeys.
US 99 joined the United States numbered highway system in 1926. Its full corridor eventually connected the Mexican and Canadian borders; this project focuses on California and Oregon.
As new roads opened, the highway shifted. The US designation disappeared from California in the 1960s and from its final Oregon section in 1971. Portions survived as state highways and local streets.
99
HISTORIC US HIGHWAY
California · Oregon
History, places & former routes
Choose a stretch of the road
01 / CALIFORNIA
Desert to the Siskiyous
Explore the California corridor, the Sacramento Valley branches, and the roads that came before the freeway.
02 / OREGON
Through western Oregon
Start with the Pacific Highway corridor and the histories of the 99E and 99W branches.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Putting the old routes
back on the map.
Our long-term goal is a map with layers for the original US 99 alignment, later realignments, and the final US 99 routings. Each researched segment will carry dates, sources, and a clear indication of uncertainty.
Start with the sources
Browse preservation organizations, route histories, and historical map collections. The research directory is the first stop for exploring beyond these introductory pages.
An archive in the making
Hwy 99 Information is an independent research project. These first pages introduce the corridor; detailed town histories, photographs, and mapped alignments will be added as they are documented.
The project is not affiliated with the organizations linked here.