We still have not started the formal transcontinental journey on the Lincoln Highway, but because we needed to travel from Santa Cruz to Sacramento for a wedding, we decided to search out some of the more complex routing of the Lincoln Highway through Livermore, CA to Stockton, CA. The original route has been incorporated into more modern roads and in places, new development has made the highway unavailable. Still we wanted to try.
Prior to traveling this portion, we did find the Lincoln Highway in Livermore, CA. It comes down East Airway Blvd. that then becomes Portola Avenue. If you follow this, you come to N. 1st Street where you make a turn to the right for one block and then make a left on Pine Street. This takes you to Portola Park. Just as you turn, you find and old garage at the corner of 1st and L Streets called the Duarte Garage.
The Duarte Garage was built in 1915 by F.H. Duarte on the original Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental U.S. Highway. When the Carquinez Bridge was opened in 1927, the highway was re-routed and this section was eventually renamed Portola Avenue.
The garage sold Associated gasoline and oil products and also performed repairs. In 1923 the south half of the garage was added and became an automobile dealership, selling Durant Star and Flint models. Robert Livermore Jr. was one of the salesmen in the early 1920’s.
In the early 1940’s the garage was converted into a machine shop for rebuilding winery and farm equipment. During the 1970’s the City of Livermore purchased the Duarte Garage and surrounding land for use as a park. The Livermore Heritage Guild signed a lease in 1976 to restore and maintain the garage for use as a museum.
Duarte Garage, Livermore
In the Portola Park next to the garage, you can find a Lincoln Highway sign.
If you follow Portola to Fiorst Street and make a left turn, you will joint up with Interstate 580 where you travel towards Tracy. You exit the interstate at Southfront Rd and turn left on Greenville Rd. to reach the Altemont Pass Road. This road is the route of the original Lincoln Highway and parallels the interstate highway. It goes through the golden hills and weaves near the wind farms. Just after Altemont Pass Rd. joins with W. Grantline Rd., to come to a historical place called The Mountain House. The Lincoln Highway (LH) then travelled through the town of Tracy as detailed in this newspaper article.
There are now some detours created in Tracy via new development that made us have to return to Interstate 5 towards Stockton where we exited at Frenchcamp. We ended up missing the original route that goes northward on Pacific Avenue in Stockton. Instead, we we on Route 4 east until we hit Route 99 and traveled north. It eventually merged with the LH just south of Galt. When we leave Santa Cruz on June 11, approximately, we plan to attempt to find the old route through Stockton before reaching Route 50 that will take us around south Lake Tahoe. I think it will be easier to follow the Lincoln Highway after we get out of the larger cities.
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