Beale’s Cut through Newhall Pass, in what is now Santa Clarita, c. 1910s. (Photo – pasadenahistory.org)
The ongoing exhibit exploring Route 66 and Colorado Boulevard at the Pasadena Museum of History inspires a new question for discussion on Saturday, July 25, at 5:00 pm: What was a road trip like before Route 66?
By Melanie Hooks
The short answer: not easy.
Early automobile travel was a journey of uncertainty and adventure. Cars were still an emerging technology, and roads lacked the infrastructure, maps, and signage drivers now take for granted. Between 1914 and 1915, the Automobile Club of Southern California launched an ambitious effort to improve travel by signposting the National Old Trails Road, the highway that later became a precursor to Route 66.
Morgan Yates, Corporate Archivist and Historian for the Automobile Club of Southern California, will present an illustrated lecture exploring the Club’s pioneering signposting efforts and the challenges of early automobile travel.
Doors open at 4:00 pm for a pre-lecture reception, and the program begins at 5:00 pm. Tickets are $20 for the general public and $15 for museum members and are available through the Pasadena Museum of History website.
Presented by the Gamble House and the Pasadena Museum of History, the event will be held at the nearby Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church, Ross Chapel, 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena.
Before Route 66: Early Road Travel and the Birth of Highway Signage July 25, 2026 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Location Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church Ross Chapel 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91103 Buy tickets online ($20/$15).
Where History Meets the Road: Celebrating Route 66 & Colorado Boulevard Exhibit through January 24 (Photo – pasadenahistory.org)
Leave a Reply