California State Route 153

State Route 153
Monument Road, Cold Springs Road
Route information
Defined by S&HC § 453
Maintained by Caltrans
Length: 0.550 mi[1] (0.885 km)
Major junctions
West end: James Marshall Monument[2]
East end: SR 49 in Coloma
Highway system

State highways in California(list • pre-1964)
History • Unconstructed • Deleted • Freeway • Scenic

← SR 152 SR 154 →

State Route 153 (SR 153) is a very short state highway in the U.S. state of California in El Dorado County. It extends only 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the junction of Cold Springs Road and SR 49, in the town of Coloma in the heart of California's Gold Country, to the monument marking the grave of James Marshall, whose discovery of gold along the American River, January 24, 1848 sparked the California Gold Rush. The exact routing is from SR 49 south on Cold Springs Road then west on Monument Road in Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park to the monument.[3]

Although the California Department of Transportation has posted a sign indicating that SR 153 is "California's shortest state highway",[4] it is not: SR 77, SR 265, and SR 283 are all shorter. However, these highways are merely short connectors between other highways.[1]

Contents

Route description

The Monument Road portion of the highway is quite narrow, and appears to end at a park employee residence. There is an easily overlooked sign which indicates that the road continues across in front of the front yard of the residence as a very narrow, one way road. There is a parking lot on the right, but there is also a small parking area closer to the monument on the loop road that circles it. The highway officially terminates at the Monument, but since the last short segment is one way, one can't (legally) retrace one's route if you drive all the way to the monument.[5] The one lane, one way road continues on past its junction with the loop road, down the hill and passes Marshall's cabin, ending at the junction of Church and High streets in the town of Coloma.[6]

Major intersections

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage.

The entire route is in El Dorado County.

Location Postmile
[1][7][8]		 Destinations Notes
0.55 James Marshall Monument[9]
Coloma 0.00 SR 49 (Coloma Road)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b c California Department of Transportation, State Truck Route List (XLS file), accessed February 2008
  2. ^ Online map of Marshall Gold Discovery SHP, [1]
  3. ^ California Department of Transportation, Photolog, accessed February 2008
  4. ^ Photo of sign, taken December 28, 2004
  5. ^ California State Parks brochure/map of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, copyright 2006, referenced and visited July 7, 2009
  6. ^ California State Parks brochure/map of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, copyright 2006, referenced and visited July 7, 2009
  7. ^ California Department of Transportation, Log of Bridges on State Highways, July 2007
  8. ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006
  9. ^ Online map of Marshall Gold Discovery SHP, [2]

External links