Калифорнияның 247 тас жолы және Ескі Әйел Көктемдері тарихы

Highway in California
SR 247 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, but is not part of the National Highway System. The route is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System, but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation. In 2013, SR 247 had an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 1,700 between Stoddard Wells Road and the Barstow city limits, and 18,000 at the northern terminus with I 15, the latter of which was the highest AADT for the highway.

The name "Old Woman Springs" dates back to 1856 when a government survey party discovered elderly native American women camping near what is now called Cottonwood Springs in present day Lucerne Valley. They would remain in camp, while the young went into the mountains to collect pinion nuts, which are similar to pine nuts. Cattleman Albert Swarthout then established what he called "Old Woman Springs Ranch" in 1907, which still remains on private property (this is commemorated by historical marker along SR 247, placed by the Morongo Basin Historical Society in 2004). The California State Legislature defined Route 26 as a route from Lucerne Valley to Morongo Valley in 1959. SR 247 was designated in the 1964 state highway renumbering as a route from SR 62 in Yucca Valley to SR 18 near Lucerne Valley, and then from there to I 15 in Barstow. That year, the Lucerne Valley Chamber of Commerce began an effort to have a state highway designated from Lucerne Valley to Yucca Valley along Old Woman Springs Road. By 1969, county roads had been constructed from Barstow to Lucerne Valley, and from there to Yucca Valley. Barstow Road and Old Woman Springs Road were given to the state by San Bernardino County in 1972, although the county had agreed to perform some improvements on the two roads after the state began to maintain them. Parts of the SR 247 roadway buckled in the Landers earthquake of 1992, and 10 mile (16 km) of the highway was closed while repairs took place. In 2001, Caltrans indicated that most of the highway was considered "maintain only" until 2020, except for the portions in Yucca Valley and Barstow, which were to be widened to six lanes.