Historic Highway 80 once ran coast-to-coast, from Savanah, Georgia (later Tybee Island) to San Diego, California, but in California it was bypassed by Interstate 8 in the 1960s. With the coming of the interstate, traffic died on the highway over night.
Most of Highway 80 from Holtville to Ocotillo is still drivable, and has been designated as county route S-80, but the towns along the road have never recovered.
On our trip we will see little visited parts of California, places like Seeley, Dixieland, Plaster City, and Coyote Wells, while taking a look at the history of Highway 80 through the area. We will also explore an earlier alignment of the road, dating back to 1916.
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My uncle and his family lived in El Centro for many years
I live in San Diego and go Prospecting at the Cargo Muchachos Mountains about every other weekend. Your videos are always rewarding, appreciate the time and effort you put into making them, lots of research and travel. Also like to read the comments, your audience provide great feedback. Keep up the good work, hopefully I will bump into you one of these days and if I do, I will show you where the gold is hiding!
Man you skipped a lot.
Fascinating! Talk about a fun weekend road trip. I've lived on SoCal my entire life and there are still small out of the way towns down south as well as in the central valley Ive either never heard of or just recently heard of. There is a great documentary on YouTube about John Sprecklers San Diego and Arizona Eastern. That line was insane to build and most people that are into railroad history do not believe that old line gets as much recognition as it deserves.
So how did Highway 80 get moved up north? It stretches from San Francisco, through Reno, Salt Lake City, Lincoln Nebraska on east to Atlantic Ocean.
Out in plaster city just a little northeast of the plant is the foundation of a speak easy from the prohibition era.
Nice one Steve. Interesting to see how they tried to relocate near the freeway, but then the closest exit was a couple miles away dang.
"Out of the way" places are fascinating. Thanks for the tour, now I feel like a nice cold 🍺. Best wishes from the Land of the Kiwis. 😉
Take about stupidity.
This is a waste of my life watching this dumb and boring shit
My mom grew up southeast 4 miles from holtville on hunt road few miles from east highline on a ranch. I use to hunt there with my bb gun .
I'm sorry, I don't want to be "that guy", but the word is pronounced "trof" and its a watering trough not a "horse trough". They were used by all kinds of live stock. The Vaqueros were cleaner, but it might be the only bath a drunken cowboy might take all month.
12:23…"these (lakes) were built in the 1990's before the current water issues in the state."
Sir, water issues have been part of California a l-o-n-g time before the 1990s.
This reminds me of California's Gold.
Didn't know that there was a Hwy 80 down South. There's a Hwy 80 up North that runs across the country East.
Be nice to watch this in VR
Sir I like you video; l love old lost roads, but if you want to see real wind come to northern England😊; that there is just a gentle breeze! Keep exploring!
I'm sure that mailbox has 2000 registered Democrats listing it as their home address.
I’am from Westmorland. Been gone for along time moving all over the USA. I do miss calif wish it was like the good old days. If it gets rid of Gavin Newsom. I would move back. Thanks for the memories
Great video. The court house is a grand old building. There is a smaller copy in Inyo County design by the same architect. Also, I have been in spaces not seen by the general public since I was in charge of the repairs to damage caused by the Easter Sunday earthquake of 2010. What a grand building. Thank you for such a wonderful video that brings back many fond memories of my time in Imperial County. Another note, it must of been a Sunday because downtown El Centro looks empty.
I've never heard the word trough pronounced "traw" by any human, until today. 5:11
Excellent with very pleasant music! Best of luck!
I've never been to California, but I've visited this area many times — while playing GTA V. That's why I'm getting nostalgia vibes watching this.
Enjoyed the video…. I did not know the town EL CENTRO was below sea level…..good NARRATION.
I love Hwy 80!
Been on much of what is left of it over the years
That's for sharing
I REALLY LIKED WHERE YOU WENT ON THE MAP, THAT YOU SHOWED SO WE CAN SEE WHERE THESE PLACES ARE IN CALIFORNIA ON A MAP!!!!!!!!
they even make you afraid to swim
I love these videos about US HWY 80. The western terminus was at Washington Street and Pacific Highway, to intersect with US HWY 101 in San Diego.
Most of the original highway from Ocotillo to Plaster City is still drivable. Just watch out for a few bumps and little holes. The newer 2-lane road has a really nasty blacktop surface from Ocotillo to about a mile or so east where it has been resurfaced most of the way to Plaster City. Along that stretch of road, the railroad looks pretty much intact from the highway. About a quarter mile east of the freeway intersection at Ocotillo, you can see a place where the original road was washed out. Bad drop off, but just up the hill is a place where you can get on the old road and drive to Plaster City. You'll have to slow down in a couple places to go around some bumps, and drive just fast enough to make sure you don't get stuck in the washes, but I've done it in 2 different cars I had.
Oh. I almost forgot. Up over the mountain at the east end of Boulevard, there's another little stretch of the original road skirting the south side of the 2-lane road that is currently used as a kind of driveway to a few homes and the road is open at both ends. In some places, you can still see bits and pieces of the original road all the way to Los Coches Road in El Cajon.
Horse trough is pronounced with the "gh" sounding like an "f". Great video.
Below Jacumba you can see and drive the old concrete road. The 8 cuts it in sections.
I spent many summers outside of Holtville, its where we would go for groceries or the public library hardware store etc.
Extreme wind?