Highway 140 celebration will be taking place on Sept. 22

It was one of the biggest game changers in Mariposa County.

And it happened 100 years ago.

It was 1926 when the “All-Weather Highway” was officially opened. Known as Highway 140, the opening of the road to Yosemite National Park meant a huge jump in tourism — one that continues to this day.

“The visitor numbers doubled the first year,” said Noel Morrison, tourism development director of the Yosemite Mariposa Tourism Bureau.

Because of the anniversary, local officials are planning a formal ceremony to mark the significance of the opening of the road, which actually begins at Interstate 5 near Gustine and ends up in Yosemite Valley.

The event will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will begin with a motorcade of classic vehicles starting in the parking lot of the Mariposa Gazette. The motorcade will travel through town to the Mariposa Museum and History Center.

There, the Yosemite National Park Superintendent Ray McPadden is expected to address the gathering, there will be local dignitaries, representatives from Caltrans and more.

“We are highlighting road trips in California,” said Morrison .

This is also the 100th anniversary of one of the most famous roads in the world, Route 66, which ends (or starts, depending on perspective) in Southern California.

“These are classical California road trips,” said Morrison.

The history connected with the highway, and the area itself, is rich from the Gold Rush to development of Yosemite as a worldwide destination.

As Morrison points out, back in the 1960s, there was an official Highway 140 Association which promoted and even beautified the road. The redbud trees which line the highway grew from that organization.

“The corridor is important,” said Morrison. “It changed the game.”

That game was opening up a highway that could be utilized all year around to get into Yosemite Valley. That is still true to this day and is one of the huge advantages Mariposa and the other towns along the route have when it comes to tourism.

Morrison said that doubling of automobile traffic the first year the road was open also saw a 38 percent decrease in railroad traffic into Yosemite.

The game had indeed changed.

Not only was the highway a huge attraction and convenience, there is also the beauty of the Merced River which flows right next to the highway through the canyon. It remains a perfect place for hiking, biking and many more activities — all year around.

Morrison said one of the big objectives of the tourism bureau is to convince tourists to travel during the off season and Highway 140 provides that mechanism.

As many locals know, there’s nothing like Yosemite in the early spring as well as late fall and early winter seasons. The weather is generally great and there are less people visiting one of the premiere national parks in the world.

“We are localizing an important road trip story,” said Morrison, also noting the road connects to Highway 49 South, another spectacular road trip that takes visitors to Coulterville and beyond.

She said in studying the building of the highway, it was notable to understand that even a long time ago, the locals knew the highway was going to be a key to the future.

“People knew the importance of the corridor,” she said.

That is one of the many reasons local officials are hoping local residents and visitors alike will come out for the ceremony in September.

She added it is “just the start” of the celebration as next year, the famed Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite will mark 100 years. All of it, she said, ties together.

As does continued local efforts involving trails and river groups in and around the Merced River.

Morrison said more information about the celebration will be released as the event nears, including if they will be having one of the original touring cars from Yosemite involved in the event.

Highway 140: By the numbers

• July 31, 1926: Highway 140 officially opened as the “All Weather Highway.”

• The road followed the Merced River at a relatively low elevation, making year-round access much more practical. Yosemite visitation nearly doubled between 1926 and 1927 following the highway’s opening. The impact was immediate. Yosemite visitation went from 274,209 visitors that year to 490,430 in 1927.

• The highway accelerated the transition from railroad based tourism to automobile tourism.

• 1945: The Yosemite Valley Railroad continued operating until 1945, primarily carrying freight after automobile travel became dominant.

• 1965: The Highway 140 Association, a group of local business people focused on promoting travel along the route, launched a county-wide redbud planting program. William Brady and Keith Kaylor spearheaded the effort, with Brady preparing as many as 25,000 seeds for planting.

• 2030: Projected completion date of Rock Shed/Ferguson Project

• From the beginning: The road to this day remains the only all-weather highway into Yosemite.