OETTING: The first highway mission bells were installed in 1906. They were roadside markers placed every mile or so to help travelers find their way between California's coastal towns. By the mid-1950s, the highway bells were drumming up car tourism, leading road trippers between the missions.

The cast-iron bells found along Highway 101 in California mark the historic El Camino Real (The Royal Road). These markers were first installed in 1906 to commemorate the 700-mile trail that originally connected the 21 Spanish missions, four presidios, and several pueblos from San Diego to Sonoma. The project was spearheaded by Mrs. Armitage S.C. Forbes, who designed the bells to hang from shepherd's crook posts to resemble the bell towers of the missions. While the "Royal Road" was largely a romanticized myth created in the early 20th century to promote automobile tourism and a "nostalgic" Spanish past, the bells became iconic symbols of the state's heritage. In 2026, there are over 500 bells along the route, maintained by Caltrans. However, it is important to note that their presence has become controversial; many Indigenous groups view the bells as painful reminders of the California mission system's history of forced labor and cultural erasure, leading some cities like Santa Cruz to remove them from public land.