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A
Brief History of Niles
Niles was established in the
1850's and was a junction point of the Southern Pacific Railroad lines from
Oakland to San Jose and southern coastal points. Vallejo's Mill was the
first flourishing flour mill constructed and completed in this country. It
was run by water conducted in a long flume from Alameda Creek. Niles at one
time was noted for the location of the California Nursery, the largest
nursery in California, with the largest rose plantation in the state.
In 1912, Essanay Studios was
at the height of its movie making fame. The studio, owned by Broncho Billy,
made famous movies of the time starring Charlie Chaplin, Wallace Berry,
Chester Conklin and Ben Turpin. Many cowboy adventures were filmed through
Niles Canyon and along the main streets of Niles.
Today it is famous for its
Wildflower Festival, Charlie Chaplin and Essanay Days Festival, its annual
Antique Fair, and its historic preservation and economic revitalization with
the California Main Street Program. Watch Niles as the community continues
to show off a captivating historic character, a family atmosphere, and a
friendly shopping experience. We hope your visit to Niles is a pleasant one.
Come back and visit us often.
History of the Niles Depot
The Niles Depot is the second
structure used as the Niles depot and was built by the Southern Pacific
Railroad in 1901. It replaced an earlier depot that had occupied the site
since 1870. The original Niles depot included a restaurant and saloon for
the convenience of train passengers. In 1900, Southern Pacific instituted a
"dry law", closing all of the saloons in railroad eating-houses. Without the
bar, the restaurant closed in mid-1901, and the depot - a relic of a country
with fewer rules - closed soon after. The building was sold and part of it
was moved a few blocks away, and it is now a private residence in Niles.
The Town of Niles, CA was
important to the railroad since it was the junction of two major rail lines.
One line went to San Jose, the other to Tracy, Stockton and Sacramento. The
completion of the railroad through Niles Canyon linked the San Francisco Bay
Area with the rest of the transcontinental railroad. The more famous golden
spike at Promontory, Utah only connected Sacramento to the East, so it was
not a coast-to-coast railroad until the line through Niles Canyon was
finished.
The "new" Niles depot
featured colonnade style architecture. It was built of redwood cut in the
Santa Cruz Mountains and milled in Southern Pacific sawmills. Unlike most of
the other colonnade style depot the railroad built between 1901 and 1913,
the columns in the Niles depot were topped by ornate carved wood decoration
(the columns are topped by ornate Victorian capitals and an elaborate
entablature). Of about thirty colonnade style depots built, less than half
exist today and the Niles depot is the only survivor having the ornate
carved wood decoration.
During earlier years, the
depot saw eight to ten passenger trains each day, along with many freight
trains. Before World War I, Niles became the home of Essanay Studios.
Many early films were
produced in Niles including most of "Bronco Billy" Anderson's westerns. The
most famous films were those starring the little English actor, Charlie
Chaplin. Chaplin's "Little Tramp" character first appeared on the streets of
Niles The depot saw several other famous, and not-so-famous stars arrive and
depart.
The town was quiet after the
studio moved to Hollywood. Life settled into the routine of a farming
community. On Sunday afternoons and evenings, in mid weather, the local
concert band played in front of the station while children romped, parents
listened sedately, and medicine men hawked their wares. While the music
blared and the steam engines took on water, a few of the male patrons held
short but spirited sessions of thirst quenching at two handily situated
bars, according toJohn "Nick" Pinna, station agent at Niles from 1956 to
1963. "Picnic trains ran until about 1950," he says. "They'd arrive about
ten a.m. and deposit their pleasure-bound riders upstream. After that they'd
return to rest in the clear on the caboose track until about 4:30 p.m.
Local rail passenger service
began to decline before World War II. The last regularly scheduled passenger
service to serve the Niles depot was discontinued on January 22, 1941, but
the depot remained open as a freight agency.
On September 14, 1974, the
Public Utilities Commission granted SP permission to close the Niles depot.
SP had tried to close the depot in 1972 but was rebuffed by opponents of the
depot closure.
When Southern Pacific
announced it would demolish the depot in 1981, a grass roots,
volunteer-based effort began to raise funds to save and restore it (Fremont
contributed $25,000 to move it). Their efforts paid off. Community members
have worked tirelessly for nearly two decades to restore and maintain the
Niles depot.
On May 16, 1982, the depot
was moved from its original location to a new site on Mission Boulevard and
work began on the restoration.
In addition to the original
Niles depot and "new" Niles depot being moved, the Western Pacific Irvington
depot was moved onto the hillside in 1955, south of where the Niles depot
now sits . With the Southern Pacific freight depot still standing in its
original spot, Niles is one of the few towns that has four historic depots.
The depot, along with the
grounds, is cared for and operated by the Niles Depot Historical Foundation.
The foundation is charged with the continued restoration and development of
the railroad museum. Major restoration of the depot was completed in
December of 1988. The Niles Depot Historical Foundation is continuing care
for the surrounding grounds.
- Railroad Magazine,
William G. Wullenjohn, Sr., Tom Nelson, Robert Schott, Niles Depot
Historical Foundation
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