Ghost Road: Tracing El Camino Viejo Through Southern California

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Roads, Rivers, Rails and Trails (and more): The Archaeology of Linear Historic Properties" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The study of historic roads in the North American West is a complex process. Pragmatic issues of scale, accessibility, and preservation are accompanied by aspects of interpretation and meaning. This is particularly evident in southern California, where the vast physical transformations and cultural upheaval of the past 200 years have created a particularly challenging "topography" for studying roads. "El Camino Viejo," a route running north from Los Angeles through the western San Joaquin Valley, was created during at the end of the 18th century. This route was distinct from the more "official" coastal road network, supporting relatively informal travel beyond official scrutiny. Tracing El Camino Viejo in the present context thus requires engaging a contingent pattern of movement, terrain that is dramatically different from that of the 19th century, and a “ownership landscape” of baffling complexity.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Roads, Rivers, Rails and Trails (and more): The Archaeology of Linear Historic Properties   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 707