The Monterey
and Salinas Valley
Railroad
was the Salinas Valley's first steam powered railroad to service Monterey. It was chartered by
members of the
Patrons of Husbandry, also known as the Grangers, on February 26,
1874 among who were such notables as David Jacks, C.S. Abbott, Alfred
Gonzales, Robert McKee, the Monrass Family, Francis Doud, Peter Zabala,
Jesse D. Carr, James Bardin, John Abbott, J.B.H. Cooper, Cas McFadden,
George Pomeroy, Judson Parson, B.V. Sargent, F.S. Spring, William Ford, and
many more. All totaled there were 72 stockholders. Their goals
were nothing less then to build a narrow gauge railroad from Salinas,
California to Monterey, California and thus break the monopolistic hold on
the Salinas Valley, which the Southern Pacific (S.P.) enjoyed. Savings on
the shipment of freight were estimated to be as much as $200, 000 per year
over what the S.P. was charging the citizens of Monterey County. The S.P.
immediately countered by lowering their rates and extending a line from
Castroville to Monterey.
Work began on a Monday in April 1874 with no ceremonies by C.S. Abbott.
John F. Kidder was retained as the Chief Engineer and Superintendent of
Construction already having done surveys for a prior railroad proposal.
Track gangs reached Salinas on October 9th with only a few items yet to be
completed. Captain Kidder left on the 10th to make surveys for a
proposed narrow gauge railroad out of Hollister, California. On
January 11, 1875 directors were elected confirming Carl S. Abbott as
president, David Jacks as Treasurer, and Joseph W. Nesbit was confirmed as
Superintendent of the railroad. By the 16th of January, John F. Kidder
and his assistant C.P. Loughridge had left for Grass Valley, California
having finished the survey for the Hollister and San Juan railroad project.
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On
January 19th a 'Northern' hit the Monterey Peninsula with a force unlike any
in remembrance, and by the 26th the approach trestle to the bridge would be
long gone. Trestle work would be washed out two more times during the
life of the railroad, and the engine house would burn down on September 1,
1877 badly damaging both engines. Fortunately no other equipment was
in the fire. Mr. Nesbit had resigned from his position to accept the
position of Superintendent on the Santa Cruz and Watsonville Railroad in
February of 1875 with Alfred Gonzales taking over as Superintendent, and
David Jacks would leave in June having perpetrated a short lived attempt at
shifting control over the railroad. Jacks was supported by Cooper,
Ford, Robinson, Sergeant, and Jesse D. Carr who was proposed as the new
President. The action was defeated by a boycott of the meeting.
C. S. Abbot, and Alfred Gonzales who were instrumental in boycotting the
meeting would find themselves pitted against each other in 1879 in a fight
for control that would go all the way to the State Supreme Court.
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Two work cars were removed from the roster of the M. & S. V. railroad in
1877 possibly going over to the Santa Cruz railroad. On September 4,
1879 it was announced by the Salinas City Index that the Southern Pacific
had purchased the Monterey and Salinas Valley railroad with the office being
transferred from Salinas to San Francisco. Work was immediately begun
on ripping up the track with all the narrow gauge property, rolling stock,
rails, & etceteras going to the Nevada Central at Battle Mountain, Nevada.
Combine Car No. 1 arrived on the property on December 20, 1879, and the
mortgage on the M. & S. V. was sold at public auction on December 22, 1879
by the Pacific Improvement Co. who was a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Southern Pacific. The Pacific Improvement Co. was charged with the
construction of the hotel Del Monte. Control of the railroad was
handed over the Monterey Railroad Company.
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Mr. Joseph W. Nesbitt, former Superintendent of the Monterey and Salinas
Valley railroad had taken up an offer on S.L.O and Port Hartford railroad
and as reported by the Salinas City Index for Thursday, January 10, 1878
after an illness of three weeks, died at his residence on January 7, 1878 at
the age of 45 years.
The preceding is made available to the members of the Monterey and Salinas
Valley Railroad Modeling and Historical Society
by: Norman E. Hansen
Check out the book at the club, or...
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