Of Crossroads and Landmarks:
The History of Highway 101 at Pinecate Rocks
by Mike Monroe
San Juan Grade between Salinas and San Juan Bautista on the first alignment of future US 101, 1920s. Photo credit: Challenger Tom-Gribblenation January 01, 2023
Recently, a very dangerous intersection on US Highway 101 was closed at Rocks Road near San Juan Bautista. Rocks Road refers to the large rock outcroppings along Highway 101 as it swoops through an eucalyptus grove in close proximity to the Red Barn and Flea Market. This landscape feature tells the fascinating story of an ancient crossroads that connected Native Ohlone people living around San Juan Bautista with their Monterey Bay neighbors.
In the last issue of Gilroy Morgan Hill Today, I wrote of the first Spanish explorers crossing the ridgeline of the Gabilan Range following an arduous trail into San Juan Bautista. The Anza colonizing expeditions of 1776 followed this route, too; which raises the question of why the Spanish soldiers and missionaries opted not to follow the more gentle Prunedale Pass. Most likely there would have been an easier Indian trail leading through the sandstone boulders— called by the Spanish the " Pinecate Rocks ". And, why did it take until 1932 to abandon the rugged and dangerous routes the Old Stage Road and the San Juan Grade?
The increase of automobile traffic forced the California Highway Department to make a very expensive infrastructure investment. The residents of San Juan Bautista would also realize that it would lead to the decline of their community as a transportation crossroads. The populous Ohlione villages that thrived before Spanish colonization near San Juan Bautista were Popelouthcom and Terentak. To visit their relatives and harvest seafood like abalone along the coast, the Amah people could travel through the Pajaro Gap, a route that was prone to flooding and landslides. Another convenient trail was through the modern day communities of Royal Oaks and Las Lomas using San Juan and San Miguel Canyon Roads. This trail led to the coastal estuary of Elkhorn Slough.
The Pinecate Rocks refer to the Spanish word for a type of beetle, a stink bug, to be precise. Not only did the rock outcroppings serve as a landmark, but the Ohlone
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