photos courtesy Silicon Valley History OnlineBy Park Ranger Roger Abe, Alum Rock Park
From Downtown San Jose it came up Alum Rock Avenue, along Kirk, to Penitencia Creek Road. It carried families to picnics in "Little Yosemite". It ran through fragrant fruit orchards and olive groves, and to climb on, it only cost a quarter—what is it? If you ask local historians or train buffs, you might get a knowledgeable answer, but most people wouldn’t have a clue. This, of course, excludes those of you who have seen Judy Thompson’s Alum Rock Park History--still available online in the New Neighborhood Voice Archives. Don’t you think there should be something right here to tell the story?
There is no visible explanation for the old elevated roadbed abutments decorating the creek and the hillsides as you meander up Penitencia Creek Road into Alum Rock Park. Currently there is nothing on site to explain that railroads existed here from 1896 through the 1930’s and impacted local culture, politics and economics with all the related drama surrounding railroads. 25 cent fares, train crashes, saloons, dance halls, hotels, restaurants, bathhouses, zoos, the Natatorium, business scandals, a world-wide popular spa destination, crowded park use, bankruptcies--those abutments may no longer carry "The Big Red Cars" but they and their cohort, the Alum Rock Trestle, (all about 96 years old) represent an era during which railed mass transit served both the park and the neighborhoods on this side of town.There are few now who remember those times. If you would like to help commemorate the Alum Rock Railroads, please contact the Park Rangers at Alum Rock Park at 259-5477 or e-mail roger.abe@sanjoseca.gov or rob.reynolds@sanjoseca.gov. The park is seeking help in the form of funding, partners or sponsors, historical photos or information or volunteers to create historical markers to tell some of the stories of the Alum Rock Railroads—a grand, but nearly forgotten part of our community heritage.
No comments:
Post a Comment