The history of San Francisco's Highway 1
Highway 1's construction began in 1919. The labor required to build this massive highway was provided for by the San Quentin prison which made available three groups of prisoners living in temporary prison camps.
The prisoners were rewarded for their labor with wages and a reduction in their prison sentence. They were paid about $0.35 for a hard day's job. They were joined by the locals as well who also played a significant role in the building of this highway. John Steinbeck was a local and is said to have contributed his labor services to the building of this great road.
Today Highway 1 is used by approximately 86,000 people.
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