By Bill Pumford, Image from Thompson Collection
TITLE: THE JOHN BROWN TOLL ROAD IN THE CAJON PASS – PART I: By the mid-1850s two paths led travelers through the Cajon Pass – one on the west side and one on the east side. The path on the west side could accommodate wagons but only with great difficulty and the path on the east side could not be used by wagons although it was several miles shorter. In April of 1861 the California Legislature granted John Brown Sr., Henry M. Willis, and George L. Tucker the right to build a road on the eastern side of Cajon Pass along with the ability to collect tolls for its usage for a period of twenty years. This week’s image shows John Brown Sr., seated at right, and Silas Cox. The idea had been to construct a road to provide wagons a way to get through the mountains to eventually connect with the Government Road (now usually referred to as the Mojave Road) and move goods back and forth. The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors would be responsible for approving toll rates as they did for all toll roads in the San Bernardino Mountains. A contract was issued for the building of the road which required 30 to 40 men. The road began near Martin’s Ranch near present-day Devore and continued up Coyote Canyon (referred to today as Crowder Canyon). Originally one toll gate was constructed at the upper end of the road near Highway 138 on the way to present-day Silverwood Lake. Several years later a second toll gate was required at the lower end of the road to prevent cattle ranchers from bypassing the toll. John Brown’s toll road did not guarantee a simple path for achieving wealth. The road had to be maintained and during the winter of 1861-62 the recently completed toll road was destroyed by heavy rainfall in the upper narrows and required most of John Brown’s remaining finances to repair. Story to continue next week.