The arrival of the railroad in the 1870’s revolutionized life in Central Valley. It connected the region to the rest of the nation and helped industry and agriculture grow. But the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific were essentially one company, and they held a powerful transportation monopoly. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of an upstart rival that brought competition to the valley.
For years, many in Fresno and Bakersfield longed for a competitor to the Southern Pacific Railroad. Enter sugar magnate Claus Spreckels. The wealthy entrepreneur was in a position to actually do something about the railroad monopoly. He invested half a million dollars of his own money to build a new line from Stockton to Bakersfield. Speckles sought other investors from the region, resulting in his line earning the nickname the People’s Railroad. The official name was the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad.
Construction began in 1895 in Stockton and reached Fresno the following October. The community held a huge celebration with a parade and festival as the first train, named The Emancipator, arrived.
The new line reached Bakersfield in 1898. Late that same year, Spreckels and his investors sold the company to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe in a deal worth $2.3 million. The line became the BNSF in 1995 and is still active today.
