Cholame, California: James Dean Memorial

Alas, but Mr. Raskin is incorrect about California State Route 41 beginning at SR 46. California SR 41 begins in Morrow Bay and ends in Yosemite. State route 46 begins in Cambria and ends at Famoso. Between Cholame and Shandon both routes share the same road.

Many folks, and interestingly, some pretty knowledgeable authors and writers included, refer to the James Dean accident scene on CA Route 46 and 41 (formerly known as CA 466 when the accident took place on 9-30-55), as the James Dean Memorial Intersection. This is totally incorrect. Rt. 41 does not intersect with Rt. 46. Rt. 41 starts at Rt. 46 (which is an East-West road) heading North-east toward Fresno.

The official dedication, by the State of California, of the James Dean Memorial Junction took place on the 50th Anniversary of James Dean's death during the 9-30-2005 weekend. I had the privilege of attending this commemorative event with Marcus Winslow, James Dean's cousin from Fairmount, IN, along with State of California dignitaries and invited guests.

The restaurant at the memorial is still there and is in active service. It's called the Jack Ranch Cafe, and is a classic diner with a friendly staff and a classic menu. The Jack Ranch has just a few souvenir items, as they've minimized the gift shop to just a shelf or two. Lots of classic photos of James Dean adorn the walls however.

This is still the same restaurant that used to have the attached garage where the ambulance was kept that took James Dean to the hospital in Paso Robles and where both cars were initially stored after the accident. It seems the memorial has fewer visitors these days and the numbers "55" from "1955" have either fallen off or been taken away from the memorial lettering. The intersection down the hill where the accident occurred ("The James Dean Memorial Intersection") can be quite busy at times since the highway is the only major route from the Western San Joaquin Valley to the Central Coast. Be careful and alert with the traffic if you stop there. The original layout of the highway to the East of the intersection (What Dean actually drove on as he descended his last hill) is easily visible just alongside and to the South of the intersection as you look East up the grade (The intersection is in the original location but set up a little different to make if safer then it was in '55).

The restaurant isn't a restaurant anymore, it is a little convenience store. They mostly sell nuts -- the whole left side of the store is nothing but bags full of nuts that you can purchase and sample. There is still a bit of James Dean memorabilia like pictures and some cardboard cutouts you can purchase.

The James Dean Memorial is made of stainless steel, and aluminum alloy, and is wrapped around an Oleantheum tree. It is surrounded by a rock garden, and all the rocks therein come from Japan, handwashed and handpolished. The rock garden is surrounded by plaques bearing quotes from Elia Kazan- Director of East of Eden, Antoine De Saint-Exupery's Little Prince, the poet Lord Byron,Dean's former drama teacher Adeline Nall, Dean's favorite authors and Dean Himself. The monument is in the parking lot of the Jack Ranch Cafe. The actual crash site is a half mile east on highway 46, and 200 yards to the west, in the middle of a farm field. The intersection was realigned when the highway was repaved and renumbered back in 1973. The old intersection and the last 8 miles of the highway that Dean traveled are on land belonging to the State Water Department, and The Jack Ranch, and permission must be obtained to walk or drive the short stretch of old highway. The Jack Ranch Cafe offers James Dean memorabilia.