John Schmale - Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway

New and shiny, electric-powered Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway car No. 55 poses on Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, in 1905. With the building of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway, the towns horse car lines became superfluous. The inset shows the ancient, c. 1877 four-wheel horse car of the Union Street Railway. (Authors collection.)

Petaluma Street Railroad Company was formed prior to 1897. It operated four horse cars over about 2.5 miles of track. A turntable was located at Western Avenue and Kentucky Street. The tracks stretched eastward, across Petaluma Creek, and served the depot of California Northwestern Railroad and after 1904 that of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway. Branches extended to Mary Street and the fairgrounds. (Courtesy Frank Sternad.)

A scow schooner glides down Petaluma Creek past the California Northwestern Railroad swing bridge. The year is about 1907. Hundreds of river packets, hay barges, and steam-powered craft operated over Petaluma Creek, making it the third busiest inland waterway in California. For ease of tacking and jibing, the shallow-draft scow is running only its foresail. The craft will encounter over 90 course changes before finding the open waters of San Pablo Bay. (Dabirma Still-MacLean photograph, courtesy Frank Sternad.)

The Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway continued to operate the Petaluma Street Railroad beyond the April 18, 1906, earthquake. During March 1905, the company completely rebuilt a pair of the old open cars. Carpenters enclosed the cars and finished the interior with redwood and oak. The outside was painted green with gold trim to match the color scheme of the electric cars. (Courtesy Stanley Borden.)

By 1903, Santa Rosas entire horse car system was in shambles. Originally there were three separate lines. Jacob Brush and his son Frank were both officials of the Santa Rosa National Bank and gained control of all of Santa Rosas streetcar lines. In 1902, they formed a new company called the Santa Rosa Street Railways. On September 28, 1903, the P&SR Railway purchased the entire system. The cost was 8,960 shares of Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway stock. Interestingly, Frank Brush turned up on the board of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway. (Courtesy Sonoma County Library.)

The handsome schooner Jenny Griffen is being loaded at Petaluma in 1895. Schooners carried anything that could be loaded above or below deck. Here a load of lumber is tied topside. The photograph is by Crawford Studio of Petaluma. (Authors collection.)

This 1905 photograph shows the antiquated Santa Rosa Street Railway during its last days of operation. The old narrow-gauge horse car line began service in 1877. Behind the ancient car, track gangs of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway are laying standard-gauge rails and setting trolley poles to accommodate the new electric cars. (Courtesy Sonoma County Library.)

The imposing Southern Pacific depot dominated the landscape at North and Thirteenth Streets. With the opening in 1888 of the Southern Pacific Railroads branch line under the name Santa Rosa and Carquinez Railroad, Santa Rosa achieved direct transcontinental rail access. Completion of the P&SR gave the town three competing rail lines: the Southern Pacific, California Northwestern, and Petaluma and Santa Rosa Electric Railway. Stagecoaches and hotel hacks greet travelers in 1908. (Authors collection.)

From Santa Rosas courthouse, cars of the South Side Street Railway turned south along South Main Street then followed Santa Rosa Avenue to Pressley Street. The line ended near the entrance to the old racetrack. Today it is the site of the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. (Courtesy Gilbert Kneiss.)