Although she isn’t a Petaluman, Gaye LeBaron of the Press Democrat, is a great writer, as well as an excellent historian and storyteller. It was one of her many articles about Sonoma County history that caught my eye about a most important development that had its origin in Petaluma -the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Electric Railway (P&SR), also called the “juice line.”
The date was April 5, 1904, exactly 102 years ago, today.
The place was the foot of Copeland Street, at the Steamer Gold wharf.
The people involved included John A. McNear, a Petaluma banker.
The event was driving the first spike in the P&SR Railway, at 2:40 p.m.
So what? What was the significance of this event, on April 5, 1904?
At the turn of the 20th Century, electric railway systems were very popular and were being built all over rural America as towns and villages outgrew their horse-car lines.
(Petaluma had one, too, from 1889-1898; but that is another story for another time.)
According to Gaye LeBaron, “Once the initial spike was driven, the track laying got underway immediately. The route generally followed county roads, which was a dream come true for farmers. The first 35 miles of track, from Petaluma to Santa Rosa via Sebastopol, was built in seven months” (1) In those days, it was usually some distance separating the fruit growers, chicken farmers, and dairymen from their suppliers or processing plants, as well as their railroad depot or steamer landing; consequently, the electric line was most welcomed.
It is also worth mentioning that names were given to some of these classy trolley cars. One car (#63) was named the “Petaluma.” It is now part of the collection at the Western Railway Museum, on Highway 12, Suisan, CA.
For more detailed information about this car, go to the WRM web site – http://www.wrm.org – Click on “Collection” and “Large Artifacts,” and scroll down to #63
History of Petaluma: A California River Town, Adair Heig, Scottwall Associates, 1982
Petaluma Trolley Project web site – http://www.petalumatrolley.org/mission.html
(1)The Press Democrat, Sunday, April 4, 2004 – Gaye LeBaron column (B1) – ” Sonoma County once had a romance with electric trolleys.”