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Lighthouse Point |
According to mapquest.com, Hollister is about 44 miles from Santa Cruz. And, when I was a kid, my family drove over every Fourth of July to hang out at the Boardwalk. The fog always lifted by 11 a.m.
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Surfers at Lighthouse Point |
Hollister, California is a real town that has been around since the 1870s. Unlike the fictional town created by a corporate clothing company, Hollister is no where near a beach. The town is about 45 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. Seagulls occasionally make their way over the mountains. Hopefully, they are able to find their way back.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Hollister to Santa Cruz
According to mapquest.com, Hollister is about 44 miles from Santa Cruz. And, when I was a kid, my family drove over every Fourth of July to hang out at the Boardwalk. The fog always lifted by 11 a.m.
Monday, March 4, 2013
There's the Ocean. . . Right Over There
The theme for this week, March 4 to March 10, is the Pacific Coast.
You've heard the stories. Maybe you have a doozy of a story yourself. A middle-aged (or older) Hollister local (current or former) is standing in a line at a theater (or store or restaurant or somewhere else) in another city. He (or she) notices the young man (or woman) standing next to him (or her) wears a sweatshirt with the word Hollister on it. So, of course, the Hollister local starts up a conversation.
"Hi, I'm from Hollister, too," the Hollister middle-aged person says.
"Huh?" the sweatshirt wearing young person says.
"Go Balers!"
"What?"
"Aren't you from Hollister, California?"
"No."
"Oh, sorry, I just saw your sweatshirt and thought you were from my hometown."
"I bought this in the Hollister store. You're from Hollister, California? Wow. Are you a surfer?"
"What?"
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| Here's a look of the Pacific Coast from Fremont Peak above San Juan Bautista. That light blue "line" at the foot of the mountains, on the left, is the northern end of Monterey Bay. To see how Fremont Peak looks like from over there, click here. |
You've heard the stories. Maybe you have a doozy of a story yourself. A middle-aged (or older) Hollister local (current or former) is standing in a line at a theater (or store or restaurant or somewhere else) in another city. He (or she) notices the young man (or woman) standing next to him (or her) wears a sweatshirt with the word Hollister on it. So, of course, the Hollister local starts up a conversation.
"Hi, I'm from Hollister, too," the Hollister middle-aged person says.
"Huh?" the sweatshirt wearing young person says.
"Go Balers!"
"What?"
"Aren't you from Hollister, California?"
"No."
"Oh, sorry, I just saw your sweatshirt and thought you were from my hometown."
"I bought this in the Hollister store. You're from Hollister, California? Wow. Are you a surfer?"
"What?"
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The End of the Line
What better way to end this week's theme of Trains and Railroads with a photo of the end of the Union Pacific line in Hollister.
Curious about the history of railroads in our area? Check out these links.
- Railroads of the Central Coast—An Overview (Monterey County Historical Society)
- The Tres Pinos Monorail by David B. Simons Jr. (The Monorail Society)
- San Juan/Pacific Railway Company (Yesteryear Depot Collection)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The Railroad in San Juan Bautista
Until the Southern Pacific built the railroad in Hollister in the 1870s, San Juan Bautista was the bustling metropolis in this area. But, that's a story for another time. In 1907, a railroad did eventually come to the mission city. Originally run by the San Juan Pacific Railway, it became part of the California Central Railroad several years later.
An E Clampus Vitus plaque (the photo above) on Mission Vineyard Road (next to San Juan Inn) marks the southeast portion of the railroad. Here's what the marker states:
The San Juan Pacific Railway was incorporated May 4, 1907, becoming the California Central Railroad in 1912. Some of the locals referred to it as the San Juan Terrific. Built to haul the expected large quantities of Portland cement from the old Mission Cement Company Plant nearby, the mainline extended 7.94 miles from Chittenden to San Juan Junction. Ceasing railroad operations in 1930, the track was ripped up after the last locomotive, Ocean Shore No. 5 was steamed up and shipped to Nevada in 1937. A narrow gauge 'road' reached the limestone quarry up the San Juan Canyon.
February 25 to March 3 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: Trains and Railroads
Friday, March 1, 2013
The Railroad in Tres Pinos
What you're looking at is Highway 25 in Tres Pinos. You're looking west from a hitching post at the 19th Hole Booze and Food. Tres Pinos is a quiet little village, but over a 100 years ago, wowza!
Back in 1873, the Southern Pacific ran a line to Tres Pinos. Soon the town became a busy shipping center for hay, cattle, and grain. The railroad also shipped quicksilver for the New Idria Mines. The railroad ran two passenger and two freight trains daily, states the Inn at Tres Pinos Web site.
According to the go.to/tres pinos web page: "Among the businesses in downtown Tres Pinos were seven enormous grain warehouses, a scale house, six saloons (one that was illegal), bullfighting arena, and large hotel (as well as rumored bordellos)."
The story goes that initially the Southern Pacific planned to build the railroad to Paicines, which back then was the original Tres Pinos. What we know as the town of Tres Pinos today was then called Paicines. After laying railroad lines to Paicines, the Southern Pacific no longer wanted to go further. The railroad somehow got the two communities to switch names by 1874 so that it can say it completed its objective: Build a railroad line to Tres Pinos.
The Southern Pacific dismantled the railroad line in 1944.
February 25 to March 3 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: Trains and Railroads
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