Niles in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad

Niles, California

Photographed By Syd Whittle, November 6, 2009

1. Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad Marker

Inscription. “May God continue the unity of our country as this railroad unites the two great oceans of the world.” The gold spike ceremony at Promontory, Utah in May of 1869 united the tracks of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads. However the rails did not span the United States from ocean to ocean until some months later. In September the final link between San Francisco and Sacramento was completed near the Flour Mill of Jesus Vallejo, a short distance east of this location.

Erected 1979 by Joaquin Murrieta Chapter No.13 E Clampus Vitus and the Niles Merchants Association, August 4, 1979.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Landmarks • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus, and the Transcontinental Railroad series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.

Location. 37° 34.596′ N, 121° 58.597′ W. Marker is in Niles, California, in Alameda County. Marker can be reached from Niles Boulevard near J Street. Marker is located at the eastern end of the parking lot next to the Niles Merchants Association Railroad Car Office. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 37701 Niles Boulevard, Fremont CA 94536, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

marker. “The Bankers Building” (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of First Post Office (about 400 feet away); Vallejo Flour Mill (about 800 feet away); Essanay Studio Site (approx. 0.2 miles away); Essanay Film Studio (approx. ¼ mile away); Paths Through a Varied Landscape (approx. 0.6 miles away); Legendary Nursery Innovators (approx. 0.8 miles away); Gardens, Orchards & Plants (approx. 0.8 miles away).

Also see . . . An 1870 Map of the Railroad from Sacramento to San Francisco. Make note that the railroad line went around the San Francisco Bay and then made its way north along the San Francisco Peninsula. (Submitted on November 13, 2009.)

Additional commentary.
1. First railroad between Sacramento and San Francisco Bay
Was the final link between San Francisco and Sacramento, as stated on the plaque, completed September 1869 near Vallejo Mills? Well, not really.

Here's what happened. In 1866, Western Pacific built 20 miles of railroad northward from San Jose, turning eastward at Vallejo Mills into Alameda Cañon to near milepost 33, where construction was stopped for financial reasons. When construction resumed in June 1869 (after the golden spike celebration at Promontory Summit), J.H.

Photographed By Syd Whittle, November 6, 2009

2. Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad Marker

Strobridge and crew started at Vallejo Mills building a new line northwest towards Alameda/Oakland, while Turton, Knox & Ryan dispatched a crew to continue the railroad eastward in Alameda Cañon starting at the point where the 1866 Western Pacific rail stopped. Here's a quote from the 5 June 1869 Sacramento Daily Union: "Turton, Knox &. Ryan have detached a large number of their men from the Livermore Pass vicinity and set them grading and tracklaying on the lower end of the road, commencing twenty miles from San Jose, at the end of the section completed by the former owners of the franchise, and working up Alameda Canyon into Livermore Valley." By mid-August 1869, the railroad was completed from Vallejo Mills to the Livermore Valley.

Where was the controlling link of the first rail line from Sacramento to San Francisco Bay? Answer: the San Joaquin River railroad bridge at Mossdale. Upon its completion on 6 September 1869, the first through train from Sacramento arrived that evening at Alameda Wharf, thus completing the first transcontinental railroad to the Pacific coast. See the related marker First Transcontinental Railroad - Lathrop, Ca. for additional information."

— Submitted December 21, 2019, by VK Wong of San Francisco, California.

Relief Art on Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Syd Whittle, November 6, 2009

3. Relief Art on Marker

Completion of the Pacific Railroad image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Syd Whittle

4. Completion of the Pacific Railroad

This marker, located near Lathrop, California commemorates the completion of the railroad from Sacramento to the "Bay Area". This route went to Oakland and passengers and freight were then ferried across the Bay.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 13, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. This page has been viewed 2,517 times since then and 43 times this year. Last updated on December 22, 2019, by VK Wong of San Francisco, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 13, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. 4. submitted on September 12, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.