1890s

California Highway System Map - 1896

1897

California's Department of Highways was created and operated until 1907 when the state Department of Engineering was created. The state legislature made its first appropriation for certain state roads.
California Bureau of Highways Buckboard Wagon - Riverside County, 1896

1895

The Bureau of Highways was created with the appointment of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road Commissioner and the Bureau of Highways Commissioners. The bureau studied highway needs and made recommendations for a 4,500-mile state highway system.