Episode 3.13 is our first bonus episode, bridging the gap while we write Season 4. This bonus episode is a presentation that our co-host, Tom Fearer, gave at the Fresno Flats museum back in May 2025. The presentation focuses on the highways of the Oakhurst area, and was described as: “Since the establishment of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road in 1853 the Sierra Nevada foothills of what is now Madera County has been a hub of highway development. Much of the existing infrastructure in the area was established by the late 1880s with the plotting of the Fresno-Fresno Flats Road and Yosemite Stage Road. The area was of great interest during the early State Highway era due to the desirable access it could provide for logging interests and automotive based recreational travel to Yosemite National Park. Even Minaret Summit was briefly considered for a proposed extension of Interstate 70 into California before the era of environmental impact assessment began.” We’ll pick up in the fall with Season 4, which will cover Route 8 through Route 14. I’m also looking into better software for recording the podcast: In particular, does anyone have opinions on Zencaster, Riverside, or Squadcast?
Here’s the link to the show:
And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:
Here are some relevant links (I may edit this to add more links in later):
- California Highways:
- Gribblenation:
- Friant Road (former California State Route 41)
- 1889 Lanes Bridge Location (Old California State Route 41)
- 1941 Lanes Bridge Renovations (Old_California_State_Route 41)
- California State Route 41; Madera County Line north to Yosemite National Park
- Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station
- Old California State Route 41 on Road 425C, Road 425B, and Road 425A/Old Yosemite Road
- 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge
- Madera County Road 210 to Hildreth
- Smalley Road and the San Joaquin River footbridge
- Madera County Road 606
- Madera County Road
- Yosemite Springs Parkway
- Madera County Road 406
- Acton Grade Bridge (Madera County Road 810)
- The Pollasky Bridge
- Madera County Road 223
- Former Legislative Route Number 126 along Madera County Road 208
- Madera County Road 201
- Old Yosemite Road
- Madera County Road 607
- Madera County Road 620
- Maxon Road
- Madera County Road 222 at Bass Lake
- The site of Fresno City
- California State Route 49; The Golden Chain Highway (CA 41 north to CA 16)
- California State 203; the road that could have been a Trans-Sierra Highway
- California State Route 203 the proposed Minaret Summit Highway
We encourage you to explore our back catalog through this site or our Spotify for Creators home.
