Norwegian Grade facts for kids
The Norwegian Grade is a special section of Moorpark Road in Ventura County, California. It's about 2 miles long and goes up from the Santa Rosa Valley into the Simi Hills and the city of Thousand Oaks. This road was finished in 1911. It was a very important project by the Norwegian Colony who lived nearby. For a long time, it was the main way to travel between Moorpark and Thousand Oaks.
Farmers often had trouble moving their crops down other roads like the Potrero and Conejo Grades. So, the men of the Norwegian Colony decided to build a new, safer route. Nils Olsen gave the land for the road in 1911. This land is now very close to California Lutheran University. It took about two years to build this new part of Moorpark Road.
On the right side of the grade, you'll find the McCrea Wildlife Refuge. This land was given by the actor Joel McCrea in 1981. At the bottom of the grade, Moorpark Road meets Santa Rosa Road. From there, you can go north to Moorpark or west to Camarillo.
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History of the Norwegian Grade
This road was built into a steep hillside by members of the Norwegian Colony in Thousand Oaks. They worked on it with their helpers between 1900 and 1911.
In 1890, Nils Olsen, George Hanson, Ole Nelson, Lars Pederson, and Ole Anderson bought about 650 acres of land. This land was near the northern edge of Rancho El Conejo. These settlers, known as the Norwegian Colony, needed a safe way to get their hay, wheat, and barley to the Oxnard Plain and the Hueneme Wharf.
The new road they built would go down gradually. It had no sharp turns, making it much safer than other roads. This new path led right into the Santa Rosa Valley.
California Lutheran University is now located where the Norwegian Colony once lived. The Pederson family, who were part of these Scandinavian immigrants, donated the land for the university. The historic Joel McCrea Ranch is also at the bottom of the grade.
How the Road Was Built
In the early 1900s, there were no big machines like bulldozers. The work was all done by hand. Workers used a tool called a star drill and a sledgehammer to make holes in the very hard volcanic rock. Then, they put dynamite into the holes. After lighting the fuses, everyone would run for safety before it exploded.
For construction, they used picks, shovels, and crowbars. They also used farm equipment. Ventura County even gave them $60 worth of dynamite. The rocks and dirt that were blown up were moved by hand. They also used a horse-drawn fresno scraper to build the narrow, one-lane road.
The building work happened mostly in the winter and early spring. This was because baling hay and harvesting crops were more important in the summer and fall. Later on, the Norwegian Grade was made wider to have two lanes.
Road Improvements
The Norwegian Grade was closed on September 30, 2010, for big improvements. About 1.5 million dollars were spent to make the road better. These changes included smoothing and repaving the road. They also added flashing Botts Dots and made the guard rails stronger. The improved Norwegian Grade was opened again on January 26, 2011. There was a special ceremony and a new memorial plaque was put up.
Traffic on the Grade
When the Norwegian Grade turned 100 years old, over 6,000 cars were using it every day.
As of 2017, there isn't a special bike lane on the Norwegian Grade itself. This is because there isn't enough space on the side of the road. However, it's the only main road that connects Thousand Oaks to Moorpark and Camarillo. So, many bicyclists use the bike lane along California State Route 23 Freeway instead. This bike lane runs between Tierra Rejada Road and Olsen Road. Both drivers and cyclists sometimes get frustrated with each other on this route.
There is a special path for bikes and walkers called the Read Road Bypass. It connects Maya Pradera Lane (a dead-end road off Read Road) to Olsen Road, near the CA-23 freeway. If you are riding south, you can turn left onto Read Road from Moorpark Road (or Sunset Valley Road). Then turn left onto Maya Pradera Lane. From there, you turn right onto the 0.4-mile long Bypass to reach Olsen Road. If you are riding north, you can follow the path in reverse. There are signs for the Bypass on Moorpark Road and Olsen Road.
