The Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway Historic District includes the main roadway developed within

Lassen Volcanic National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park is an American national park in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak, the largest lava dome, plug dome volcano in the world and the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range. L ...

in northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

from 1925 to 1951. The road was developed to allow tourists access to the central part of the national park, and was designed in accordance with

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

design principles for naturalistic road design and the

National Park Service Rustic National Park Service rustic – sometimes colloquially called Parkitecture – is a style of architecture that developed in the early and middle 20th century in the United States National Park Service (NPS) through its efforts to create buildings ...

style of design and construction. The new road was intended to supplant existing primitive roads that led into the park from the periphery, cutting straight through the park to its major sights. The road is designated

California State Route 89 State Route 89 (SR 89) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels in the north–south direction, serving as a major thoroughfare for many mountain communities in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. It starts from ...

Design and construction

Planning began in 1922 with survey work by Park Service Chief Engineer George E. Goodwin and landscape designer

Daniel Ray Hull Daniel Ray Hull (1890–1964), sometimes stated Daniel P. Hull, was an American landscape architect who was responsible for much of the early planning of the built environment the national parks of the United States during the 1920s. Hull planned t ...

. A route was selected and final design work took place in 1923. There was considerable internal debate concerning the extent of the road network, and the plan was scaled back to allow for more back country. Construction began in 1925 on two sections in the southwest and northwest, intended to create a road on the eastern slopes of

Lassen Peak Lassen Peak ( ), commonly referred to as Mount Lassen, is a lava dome volcano and the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range of the Western United States. Located in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, it is part of the ...

. At the same time a ranger station was developed at Summit Lake, which was to be the midpoint of the road network. Control of the project was transferred to the

Bureau of Public Roads The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

in 1926, with design adjustments to conform to BPR practice. Work continued in the short building season available each year. In 1929 the park was expanded and the road network was adjusted to create an entrance at

Manzanita Lake Manzanita Lake is a lake located in Lassen Volcanic National Park. The name means "little apple" in Spanish. Manzanita Lake was formed when Manzanita Creek was dammed 300 years ago by a rock avalanche from the northwest slope of the Chaos Crags ...

. The route was essentially complete in time for the park's dedication in July 1931. Work continued on surfacing and accessories, including entrance signs and rustic entrance stations at the Sulphur Works and Manzanita Lake. It was immediately apparent that further work was needed to create a durable road surface, and the road was reconstructed between 1931 and 1948, with work in the 1930s done by

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

labor. The road was finally paved entirely with asphalt in the 1950s. Further work was done in connection with the

Mission 66 Mission 66 was a United States National Park Service ten-year program that was intended to dramatically expand Park Service visitor services by 1966, in time for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Park Service. When the National P ...

program in the 1950s and 60s, while blighted commercial inholdings were purchased and removed. The road was again reconstructed in the 1990s.

Description

The road features typical Park Service rustic details such as stone retaining walls and culvert headwalls. It is designed to work naturally with the landscape to provide a progression of views to motorists without adverse impact on the land. Major contributing structures include the Northwest Entrance Pylon, the Northeast Entrance Checking Station and Ranger Residence and the

Summit Lake Ranger Station The Summit Lake Ranger Station, also known as the Summit Lake Patrol Cabin, is one of the first three buildings constructed by the National Park Service in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. Located near the center of the park on the main ...

. The Raker Memorial Gateway is not listed as a contributing structure due to its extensive rebuilding. The Summit Lake Ranger Station and the area around Manzanita Lake are listed on the National Register in their own right. The highway was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on June 23, 2006.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in California Geography of Shasta County, California National Register of Historic Places in Lassen Volcanic National Park Civilian Conservation Corps in California National Park Service rustic in California Geography of Tehama County, California Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in California Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Tehama County, California National Register of Historic Places in Shasta County, California