Delaney - Newport Beach

The building of the Newport Railroad greatly increased the beachs popularity among inlanders seeking relief from the summer heat. In years prior, vacationers would drive down in wagons and camp along the beach, the best spots costing $8 per month. This image is from 1892.

The predecessor to this concrete bridge was a wooden wagon bridge, completed in August 1888. For the first time, horse-drawn vehicles and pedestrians crossed from the mainland to the isolated sandpit. Construction of McFaddens Wharf occurred the same year. Railroad construction was completed in 1891, and the 11-mile route from Newport to Santa Ana was open in January 1892. Passenger service started six months later. This image is from 1937.

In 1887, the McFaddens contracted Major Marner to construct the Newport Pier. It was completed the following year. Initially, its piles penetrated the ocean floor only eight feet. In 1892, a tremendous storm almost wrecked the structure, washing away 600 feet of the pier and three Santa Fe flatcars. The pier, rebuilt in two-months time, had a pile penetration of 15 feet.

The first train over the new railroad ran on January 12, 1892. While the McFaddens did not charge to ride on their railroad, the first agent of the railway, J.S. Smiley, charged passengers 25 a head for a short time to raise money to buy a chair for the empty railway office. The first ship to moor at the new pier was the Eureka , and she blew a blast of her whistle at midnight to signify the event.

In late 1892, the Sharps family dismantled this structure (right) at Capistrano Beach and had it hauled to Newport. May Sharps, famous for her fish dinners, ran the hotel, which acted as a boardinghouse for McFadden employees and other local residents. The hotel, seen here in 1899, operated for 18 years before burning down in 1910. The current structure was built in the early 1920s and is one of the most recognizable buildings in Newport.

Only open during the summer months, the Newport Hotel, built by McFadden in 1893 and shown here in 1912, entertained fashionable guests who enjoyed its large dining room. Visiting sea captains also favored the hotel, located west of the pier on the oceanfront. In April 1925, it sold at an auction (to be wrecked) at a cost of $400. Today, the corner is occupied by a private residence.

This photograph from December 21, 1892, shows the great McFadden Wharf in full operation during its decade as a shipping port. The wharf was .25 miles long, 60 feet wide at the outer end, and 19 feet above the water at high tide. In those days, fishermen and those looking for a stroll had to wait for Sundays when the railroad did not operate. For the last century, visitors have enjoyed the Newport Pier seven days a week.