The original road between Watsonville and Gilroy was a narrow, windy turnpike, dating back to 1860.
The roadway mostly still exists, and is now named Mt. Madonna Road.
But over the years, it was known at different times as Bodfish Canyon Road, the Watsonville Road and the Old Toll Road. With the increase in automobile use in the early 1900s, it became apparent that this original road was much too narrow to readily accommodate auto traffic (try driving it today and imagine lots of cars trying to travel in each direction).
And, improved roads would entice many more visitors to the coast, as described in a 1921 Register Pajaronian editorial: “As everyone knows, any road from the hot San Joaquin valley to the sea looks good to the people of the interior, and they do not care where it leads so long as it takes them to the ocean.”
Our civic leaders wanted those better roads to lead straight to Watsonville. Land was acquired, funding was secured, and a new roadway was graded and paved, with significant work done on each side of the county line by both Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County. Although the new road technically became part of the California state highway system in 1915, it was not completed and officially opened to the public until 1928.
On May 27, 1928, it was reported that more than 2000 automobiles came for the grand event, with attendees listening to the fine speeches, enjoying picnic lunches, and generally seeing and being seen. A plaque commemorating the opening of this “Yosemite-to-the-Sea Highway” was installed at the summit on the county line, between Mt. Madonna Inn and the entry road to Mt. Madonna park. The road received the signage designation of State Highway 152 in 1934.
Over the years, a number of businesses were established near the summit, at the site currently occupied by the abandoned Mt. Madonna Inn, to tap into the growing flow of motorists traveling over the mountains.
Often combining a restaurant and automobile service, these businesses provided much-needed respite for travelers on this challenging road, especially for the vehicles of the time. The spectacular view of the Pajaro River Valley, now largely hidden by trees and other foliage from the past 90+ years, was of course a major part of the draw. The first two businesses (1918-1929 and 1932-1943), both primarily restaurants, each succumbed to fire. The second business included a grocery store and a gas station, and is likely the “Clara-Cruz” service station shown in the accompanying photograph and 1935 aerial view. The third business and building, established in 1945, was an inn and restaurant, and fared a little better, lasting until 1965, when the owners (the Beadnell brothers) decided to tear the building down and replace it with a much grander business.
The new business—the fourth building on the site—was opened in 1968, as the Mt. Madonna Inn, with a fine dining room, an inn, an expansive dance floor, and large banquet halls able to seat hundreds. This business initially thrived, especially in the 1970s, but eventually succumbed to extended road closures resulting from the 1997 mudslides, and closed down for good in 2004. The property was eventually foreclosed, and the most recent known owner is Sterling Pacific Financial.
