Community Guide 2017
Trains—the Lifeline of the Valley 1874–1933 by Anne McClain The era of trains rolling through the Valley was an excit- ing one. With regularly scheduled trips to the Valley (and beyond) from San Francisco, people were able to easily come and go. Camp Taylor had made the area a popular destination for summer picnics and recreation, and in the 1920s people came and built summer cabins within walk- ing distance from the train stops. My family’s home in Forest Knolls started out as a summer cabin for a San Fran- cisco butcher and his wife. A nephew of theirs stopped by once some years ago to revisit the place he had spent some happy summers. He told of going through the alleyway to town and the dance halls. The trains made the dance halls, the bars and lodges (and the alleged brothels!) of the Valley accessible and popular. We can still see traces of the trains in the Valley. The Presbyterian Church has restored the San Geronimo sta- tion for use as an office and meeting place, and if you know where to look, you can see the leveled pathway of the old tracks through Flanders Ranch. The old tunnel con- necting Fairfax and Woodacre cut through the hill at Elm Road. After the railroad days came to an end it continued useful life as a shortcut for fire engines from Woodacre to get to emergency calls “over the hill” until the tunnel par- tially collapsed and was then blocked off. Lots of old postcards of the Valley featured the trains and stations. We are especially grateful to Jim Staley who allowed us to use photos from his book Railroads in the San Geronimo Valley 1874–1933 ” I marvel at the photo of people getting on and off a train stopped in Forest Knolls on page 87. What bustle and activity in our now sleepy town! We hope you enjoy these pictures of a bygone way of life here in our Valley home.
The North Pacific Coast train shown exiting the tunnel in Woodacre. This tunnel went 3,200 feet through White’s Hill from the current intersection of Railroad Ave. and Elm Ave. to Bothin on the Fairfax side. (From the Collection of Newall Snyder)
1908 postcard of the Lagunitas Depot. Jim Staley’s caption reads as follows, “Notice the siding just to the left of the flagpole and to the rear of the train. In later years many trains went no farther west than Lagunitas, and the siding was used to turn the engine around. The road crossing the siding leads to the bridge over Papermill Creek and what is today Lagunitas Road.” (Photo and caption courtesy of Jim Staley)
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SGVCC
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