Newhall Tunnel
| Newhall Pass | |
|---|---|
| San Fernando Pass, Fremont Pass, Beale's Cut | |
 Newhall Pass
Newhall Pass
|
|
| Elevation | 750+ ft (229+ m) |
| Traversed by |
 I-5
|
| Location | Los Angeles County, California |
| Range | Santa Susana Mountains/San Gabriel Mountains |
| Coordinates | 34°20′43″N 118°30′26″W / 34.34528°N 118.50722°WCoordinates: 34°20′43″N 118°30′26″W / 34.34528°N 118.50722°W |
| Topo map | Oat Mountain, CA |
Newhall Pass is a mountain pass in Los Angeles County, California. Historically called Fremont Pass and San Fernando Pass, with Beale's Cut, it separates the Santa Susana Mountains from the San Gabriel Mountains. Although the pass was originally discovered in August 1769 by Catalan explorer Gaspar de Portolà, it eventually was named for Henry Newhall, a significant businessman in the area during the 19th century.
Newhall Pass links the San Fernando Valley to the Santa Clarita Valley and is a main entry to the Greater Los Angeles area. The pass is known for its massive interchange and the historic San Fernando Tunnel.
Newhall Pass was initially named 'Fremont Pass' for General John C. Frémont, who was thought to have passed through it in 1847 on his way to sign the Treaty of Cahuenga, but he actually went slightly east of the pass on the El Camino Viejo.
In 1853, a Los Angeles businessman, Henry Clay Wiley installed a windlass atop the Fremont Pass to speed and ease the ascent and descent of the steep Santa Clara Divide. He also built a tavern, hotel and stable nearby. In 1854, Wiley sold out to Sanford and Cyrus Lyon and it began to be called Lyons Station. At the same time Phineas Banning obtained the business of supplying Fort Tejon.
The steep pass was made easier to cross with a deep slot-like road cut by Charles H. Brindley, Andrés Pico, and James R. Vineyard, to whom the State of California awarded a twenty-year contract to maintain the turnpike and collect tolls. Thus, the "San Fernando Mountain," the most daunting obstacle along the Fort Tejon Road, the main inland route from Los Angeles to the north, was cut through. Butterfield Overland Mail, a stagecoach that operated mail between St. Louis, Missouri and San Francisco began using it directly.
...
Wikipedia