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Original 1955 black-and-white photograph of the historic Bakersfield Arch in Bakersfield, California, taken from the roadway as the photographer approached the landmark by automobile.
The large BAKERSFIELD lettering spans the roadway, with numerous period automobiles visible beneath and around the arch. Tall palm trees and roadside buildings frame the scene, making this an especially evocative piece of mid-century California motoring and roadside history.
The arch originally crossed Union Avenue, then part of U.S. Route 99, one of the major north-south routes through California’s Central Valley. Built in 1949, it served as a pedestrian bridge connecting sections of the Bakersfield Inn and quickly became one of the city’s best-known landmarks. Visit Bakersfield
This photograph is particularly appealing because it shows the arch in its original setting during the 1950s, surrounded by period traffic and before later highway realignments and relocation of the sign. A documented 1955 film clip from the same era also shows motorists driving beneath the original arch on U.S. 99. Wikimedia Commons
The lower border is handwritten:
“CALIFORNIA 1955”
with an additional faint “Cal. 1955” notation along the upper edge.
Measures approximately 3.5 × 5.75 inches.
A strong original piece of Bakersfield, U.S. Route 99, California roadside, automobile and local-history photography.
Please visit Paper Trail Studio for more original vintage photographs, transportation images, travel material, and unusual historical ephemera. Combined shipping is available whenever practical.
