Ridgewood Summit facts for kids
Ridgewood Summit is a cool mountain pass in Mendocino County, California. It's like a special pathway for U.S. Route 101, sitting high up at about 1,956 feet (596 m) above sea level. This pass is super important because it connects different areas and is the highest point on U.S. Route 101 in California.
Ridgewood Summit helps link the town of Ukiah (where the Russian River flows) to the south, with Willits (where the Eel River starts) to the north. Imagine it as a bridge between two river systems! On one side of the pass, you can see Greenough Ridge and Irene Peak. On the other side, there's a part of the mountains called the Laughlin Range.
Contents
Famous Neighbors of Ridgewood Summit
Just south of the pass, in a place called Walker Valley, you'll find Ridgewood Ranch. This ranch is famous because it was the final home of a legendary racehorse named Seabiscuit. He was a real champion, and his story is quite inspiring!
Tales of Old-Time Bandits
Long ago, this area was known for some exciting, and sometimes scary, stories involving bandits!
Black Bart and His Robberies
There's a big rock near the pass that people call Black Bart Rock. It's named after a famous outlaw, Black Bart. He was known for robbing stagecoaches, which were like old-fashioned buses. Black Bart robbed stagecoaches twice on the road between Willits and Ukiah. This happened in October 1878 and again in June 1882.
However, the actual rock he used for his robberies was a bit further south, closer to Forsythe Creek. That rock was later removed. So, while the name Black Bart Rock sounds cool, it's not exactly where he did his famous deeds!
"Robber's Pass" Nickname
Another bandit named John Schneider also held up a stagecoach right in the pass in 1896. Because of these frequent robberies, people started calling Ridgewood Summit "robber's pass." It shows how wild and adventurous travel could be in those days!
