The following was taken from a photo article in the Fallbrook Enterprise from December 1977:

Following Old 395 in Fallbrook, CA

Left: "BONSALL BRIDGE - Still used to cross the San Luis Rey River at the eastern boundary of Oceanside on Highway 76 is this venerable bridge constructed for 1925 traffic on the old Inland Route, known later as U.S. 395. The old two-lane highway, its entire length not any wider than the bridge itself, carried major traffic from San Diego to Los Angeles by way of Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, Fallbrook, Temecula, and Murrieta."
Right: "HELLERS BEND - Rocky cuts such as this were common sights along old U.S. 395 in San Diego County from the 1920s until the new highway was completed in 1948. Hellers Bend Rd. was bypassed but it still serves local residents in the area of Valley Fort. Original concrete pavement has been covered by asphalt."

"NO LONGER IN USE are the remains of an "S" curve removed from S. Mission Rd. (former U.S. 395) about 18 years ago [1959]. This portion with its original concrete paving (from about 1921) still shows its white center line just south of the Green Canyon Rd. entrance to S. Mission and near the beginning of Sycamore Dr."

"The Enterprise appreciates encouragement and comments from Fallbrook pioneer David White concerning estimated dates as well as confirmation of information from the newspaper published in 1948 and 1949."

Left: "STUDEBAKER AUTOMOBILE lends an authentic flavor to a short stretch of S. Mission which was abandoned 18 years ago [1959] north of Green Canyon Rd. Prior to 1948 it was part of U.S. 395 which came through Fallbrook's main drag. The car easily fits on its own half of the concrete roadway which was adequate for 40 mph speeds."
Right: "NEW AND OLD - The new realignment of S. Mission which erased or buried more than a dozen curves which has existed since before the old highway was paved in 1921 is shown at right. The old U.S. 395 and later S. Mission used until 18 years ago [1959] (the latest realignment to date) is on the left."

Left: "ATTRACTIVE CONCRETE SPAN on S. Mission was probably abandoned in the late 1930s for a realignment of old U.S. 395. Modern day S. Mission traffic can be seen in the background."
Right: "ORIGINAL SCAR still shows as a fracture in the concrete railing of the old Inland Route bridge on S. Mission near Hughes Ln. Mark Meisenholder of Fallbrook inspects the hole which John (Lane) Bryan, a Bonsall native, recalls a Chandler automobile was wrecked there in 1921 or 1922. The bridge has remained unused for about 40 years [late 1930s]."

Left: "CONCRETE SECTIONS of old Highway 395 which once passed through Fallbrook are trying to "come through" on Main St. where the street has been paved over with numerous layers of asphalt. Some cracks cross the street while the edges of the old highway are still evident by cracks running parallel with the center line. This is in front of 300 N. Main."
Right: "OLD HIGHWAY 395 once followed this corner from N. Main onto E. Juniper St [now E. Mission Rd] at Don Radmacher's service station, heading east toward Rainbow. Old highway [395] moved in 1948."

Left: "BLIND CURVES were common along the old Inland Route (U.S. 395) between Fallbrook and the county line. This curve on E. Mission just west of the present 395 (Interstate 15) is somewhat wider, but the location has been much the same, with minor variations, for about 50 years [late 1920s]."
Right: "OLD HIGHWAY 395 can be plainly seen just south of Rainbow Valley Blvd. with the present 395 (Interstate 15) at the left. The county has paved over the original concrete with asphalt, but a few local residents on the east side of the present highway still use a half mile section."

Left: "RAINBOW VALLEY BLVD. follows the old highway which was moved to the west after World War II. Northbound curve passes abandoned service station."
Right: "SERVICE STATION of 1930's style near the county line is no longer used. The present 395 is a few hundred yards to the west."

Left: "LOOKING SOUTH on the west side of the present 395 (Interstate 15) is a typical portion of the old highway, long since paved over by the county."
Right: "JUST NORTH of Rainbow Gap, the old 395 highway remains peaceful and quiet as fast Saturday traffic passes on nearby Interstate 15 in true late 20th century fashion."

Left: "A SHARP CURVE follows old 395 north of Rainbow on the 1920's route to Temecula, long before Interstate 15 was even a dream of federal and state engineers."
Right: "NO TELLING how old this bridge is which spans a creek on State Highway 79 just east of Temecula. A quick estimate by old timers here put the possible date at 1928. Old 395 passed this way prior to 1948."

"DOWNTOWN TEMECULA is the finish of the trail of old 395 northward from the San Luis Rey River. This also was part of the old Inland Route."

accompanying article:
"How roads began"
"It is generally known that the roads of today began as cattle trails or wagon roads following the line of least resistance around property lines and fence corners, clinging in rugged country onto the edges and slopes. In the Fallbrook area the most traveled roads were eventually graded and received layers of decomposed granite or sand and gravel. As late as the middle 1920s grading was still done with a Fresno scraper pulled by horses. In Southern California the first paved roads followed the original dirt or gravel routes and Fallbrook's Main Street was paved with concrete about 16 feet wide from edge to edge in 1921. In some places along what was then known as 'The Inland Route' one could get glimpses of a couple of prior routes. Even after paving came to the Inland Route in the 1920s there was occasional straightening to cope with 'dead men's' curves. Some paving preceded 1921 - it is reported that the Inland Route was paved in Riverside County south to San Diego County as early as 1918. One of the original north-south routes followed Gird Rd. and Live Oak Park Rd. and clung to the edges of Red Mountain enroute to Rainbow Valley; changed in 1910 to the present Mission Rd. route. As is true now, paving was done in sections, with some work completed in Rainbow as late as around 1924. The present 'Bonsall Bridge' [no longer in use] completed in 1925 with much fanfare, is at least the third structure built to cross the San Luis Rey River. At one time the main road was located on the south side of the river. The Inland Route, still marked that way as late as 1928 (according to maps) later became known as U.S. 395. A new route, which was designed to cut travel time one hour between San Diego and Riverside, was started in 1938 and virtually completed in 1948, according to newspapers of the day. It no longer went through Fallbrook, Vista, and San Marcos and the old 395 became known here as Mission Rd. Even the new route was only two lane and it was only a matter of time until it too became outdated and it is now gradually being replaced by a freeway (Interstate 15). The Fallbrook Enterprise reported in April 1948 that the Escondido to Rainbow portion of new 395 had been partially in use for some time. The final 3.5 mile section from Rainbow to the county line was opened in 1949. The last major realigning and improvement of S. Mission (old 395) took place about 18 years ago [1959]."

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