San Francisco & Humboldt Bay Rail Road
On August 2, 1869, railroad rights owned by Sonoma
County were bought by Colonel Peter Donahue for
$40,000, and property owners granted Donahue land for
a right of way. By October 10, 1869, ten miles of rail north
from Petaluma were in place, but Donahue had a falling-
out with the Petaluma city fathers who wanted Petaluma
to be the railhead, connecting with the river steamers.
They felt that rails south to Marin would diminish
Petaluma’s importance, but Donahue changed the origi¬
nal plans, which had made Petaluma the terminus, and
instead ran his rails eight miles south to Donahue's Land¬
ing. The road was completed on November 8, 1869.
San Francisco & North Pacific Rail Road
The San Francisco & North Pacific Rail Road was
organized on November 17, 1869 to buy the remaining
rights of the San Francisco & Humboldt Bay Rail Road.
On January 1, 1870 the tracks were completed to Santa
Rosa although passenger service did not start until
October 31st.
Meanwhile the California Pacific Rail Road started grad¬
ing and Col. Donahue sold his San Francisco & North
Pacific to the California Pacific on April 13, 1871, much
to the surprise of the County.
Donahue re-acquired the SF & NP in January of 1873.
The official start of the San Francisco & North Pacific had
been on July 9, 1871 in the face of upset Petalumans who,
disgusted with the lack of railbuilding to their liking,
decided to build their own railroad to San Rafael, using
the original Petaluma & Haystack line, now owned by the
Contra Costa Steam Navigation Company, an interest of
Milton S. Latham, former Governor of California and U.S.
Senator.
Central Pacific Railroad
Forerunner of today's Southern Pacific, it took over the
California Pacific on August 1, 1874. The new owners
completed the railroad to Cloverdale, thus preserving the
County subsidy.
Sonoma & Marin Railroad
The Sonoma & Marin acquired the Contra Costa Steam
Navigation Company’s right of way on March 23, 1875
and began construction of a narrow gauge line but ran
out of money when the rails reached Novato. Donahue
Petaluma & Santa Rosa freight train in Petaluma dur¬
ing the 1940's with locomotive number 1008 on the head end. Paul
C. TVimble collection.
bought the road for $85,000 and rebuilt it as a standarc
gauge line from Petaluma to San Rafael.
San Francisco & North Pacific Railroad
On July 12, 1877 Donahue consolidated his interests in
the SF & NP, the Sonoma & Marin, and the Fulton & Guer-
neville R.R. into a new San Francisco & North Pacific
Railroad. Note the change in name from Rail Road to Rail¬
road, a not uncommon practice. |
San Francisco & North Pacific Railway Co.
The San Francisco & North Pacific Railway Company
was a merger of the SF & NP— which had been reorganized
March 13, 1889, the San Francisco & San Rafael Rail Road,
the Marin & Napa Rail Road, the Sonoma & Santa Rosa
Rail Road, and the Sonoma Valley Railroad. A subsidiary
line, the Santa Rosa, Sebastopol & Green Valley Rail¬
road, opened on February 17, 1890.
California Northwestern Railway
Incorporated March 17, 1898 by Arthur W. Foster, the
CNW acquired the San Francisco & North Pacific Rail¬
way by lease on September 30, 1898. The CNW extended
the rails to Laughlin on March 17, 1904; to Willits on
March 1, 1902; and to Sherwood on May 14, 1904.
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An Early Monorail
10
The Sonoma Valley Prismoidal Railway was incor¬
porated February 18, 1875 to build a primitive ground
