Alviso in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Location, Location, Location

Once a Hub for the South Bay

Photographed by Syd Whittle, November 5, 2009

1. Location, Location, Location Marker

Inscription. Because of its location at the mouth of the Guadalupe River, Alviso was deemed the ideal location for a seaport. In the 1830s and 40s, it was the only port where raw materials and crops could be shipped from the Santa Clara Valley to San Francisco. Following the Gold Rush of 1849, steamships also provided passenger access to San Francisco.

A series of events, however, diminished Alviso’s prospects. Relocation of the state capitol from San Jose to Sacramento in the 1850s caused a decline in growth in the South Bay. Winter flooding and muddy conditions also plagued the port’s viability. The completion of the Southern Pacific Coast Railroad in 1864 brought an end to water transportation. Alviso ceased to be a major port and turned its attention to other economic endeavors.

Erected by Santa Clara County Parks and the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Notable Places • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1849.

Location. 37° 25.849′ N, 121° 58.689′ W. Marker is in Alviso, California, in Santa Clara County. It can be reached from Hope Street. Marker is on the trail of the Alviso Marina County Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Alviso CA 95002, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area,

in Silicon Valley,

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Salt Ponds (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Port and Town of Alviso (about 500 feet away); Discover Alviso’s Rich History (about 500 feet away); Water Everywhere (about 500 feet away); The Steamboat Jenny Lind Disaster (about 700 feet away); China Camp (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bayside Cannery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Union Warehouse and Docks (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alviso.

More about this marker. This trail is part of the San Francisco Bay Trail and the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

Also see . . . Alviso, San Jose. Wikipedia entry. (Submitted on September 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Syd Whittle, November 5, 2009

2. Location, Location, Location Marker

This marker is located on the right.

Close-Up of Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.

3. Close-Up of Photo on Marker

Steamboat Slough, the main channel to the bay, was once navigable by large vessels.

Photo: Courtesy of History San Jose

4. Close-Up of Photo on Marker

This 1854 map of the South Bay shows Alviso as a prominent town along Steamboat Slough.

5. Close-Up of Photo on Marker

After this depot was build in the 1870s, excursion runs from San Francisco often brought weekend visitors to Alviso.

Image courtesy of the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

6. New Chicago Hope
In the 1890s, a plan was devised to revitalize Alviso by selling housing lots and naming the streets after those in “Old” Chicago. The New Chicago development and Alviso’s port were envisioned as a great manufacturing center. In the end, however, local industry in Alviso did not pick up immediately and residential use did not occur until the 1960s. In recent years, this plot of land has been restored as a non-tidal salt marsh, aptly named New Chicago Marsh.
Map
New Chicago
At
Port of Alviso
The future Manufacturing
Center of California, Santa
Clara County
Alviso, March 1890
Photo: Courtesy of San Jose Library Collection, California Room

A complex water system now circulates water to New Chicago Marsh, maintains the salinity and oxygen level of the water, and contains built in safety measures to prevent flooding.
Photo: @ Daniel Quan

Photographed by Syd Whittle, November 5, 2009

7. New Chicago Marsh

View from trail.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 12, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. This page has been viewed 2,108 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 12, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.