[Image] ---------------------------------------------------------------- [Image] HOMEPAGE | CLASSIFIEDS | CALENDAR | ABOUT OJAI | ABOUT US | ARCHIVES -------------------------------------------------- Remembering When: Reports of railroad gave residents hope or headaches by David Mason "Puff, puff, chug, chug, went the little blue engine. I think I can, I think I can . Up, up, up. Faster and faster the little engine climbed, until at last they reached the top of the mountain. Down in the valley lay the city." - "The Little Engine That Could," Watty Piper, 1930 The stagecoach ride from the town of Ventura to the pioneer western town of Nordhoff, now Ojai, was a dirty and dusty trip, one that would ford the river at least a dozen times before reaching the town. Valley residents needed a better route because the trip was difficult, to say the least. With the arrival of the Southern Pacific route in Ventura in 1887, thoughts of extending the tracks to the Ojai Valley seemed to be a viable plan. The residents of the Valley waited and heard every rumor concerning the possibility of tracks heading their way. The rumors became positive reports and when surveyors started to appear in and around the valley, it caused a small land boom. The reports turned to talks and more talks, but nothing happened. The Southern Pacific dream was fading rapidly. Just as the people of the valley were giving up all hope of having a railroad, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad embarked on a program to build branch lines in California. Once again, the excitement grew. The Santa Fe reportedly was contemplating a rail line from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, with San Francisco being the "end of the line." The route included an entry into the Ojai Valley along Santa Paula Creek, over Dennison Grade and through the valley, exiting over Casitas Pass. The route was physically possible, but would require many steep grades or expensive tunnels. At the same time, a narrow-gauge railroad from Ventura to Nordhoff was being discussed, that route being along the Ventura River, and since the Southern Pacific had already done the survey, many felt the company could be convinced to build that branch. Activity faded on both projects and they were dropped in 1888. By 1891, newspapers were once more writing reports of a railroad. The talk gave valley residents renewed hope that someday they would hear the whistle of the great iron horse arriving in their valley. Efforts began anew, and a town meeting was held to discuss the railroad. A committee was formed to secure the right-of-way for the tracks. The committee was also responsible for selling $40,000 in bonds for the construction. The planning and fund-raising events continued for the next four years, yet nothing seemed to be happening. Pledges from local residents filtered in at a slow pace. In 1895, a Ventura attorney, W.L. Barnes, proposed another railroad to connect Ventura to the Ojai Valley. The new proposal was to be a steam locomotive and was to be a narrow gauge to reduce costs. Sherman Thacher, of The Thacher School, reported to The Ojai news, "We have some confidence that the plan of Mr. Barnes will result, after many disappointments, in joining the Ojai to the railway system of the county." At the same time, a promoter from Los Angeles, S.R. Thorpe, advised the committee that he had a party willing to build the Ojai railroad. He would start work 30 days after all the right-of-ways had been secured and would finish the job in six months. Sherman Thacher continued to write editorials for The Ojai news under the heading "Keep on Sawing Wood" to keep the locals abreast of what was happening regarding the railroad. Capt. John Cross, an associate of Thorpe, arrived in the valley to assist in the promotion of the line. Cross, also from Los Angeles, was very knowledgeable about building railways and had been responsible for the construction of the Los Angeles, Pasadena and Glendale Railway and also constructed the Santa Barbara street railway. Cross was able to persuade Southern Pacific to supply him with secondhand rails, ties and rolling stock. Cross did not discourage the committee from the narrow gauge. In fact, he asked the group to keep on and to remain in the wings, "just in case." When it finally appeared that the town of Nordhoff would indeed have its very own railroad, news items started to appear in the local paper questioning the project. Some Nordhoffians considered the iron horse to be a monster invading the sacred seclusion of their peaceful valley. The majority, however, saw prospects of greater community prosperity coming with the steel connection to the outside world. The grading commenced in August 1897 with the help of 95 mules. The workers did not waste any time, as the mules were known to eat up any profit that was to be gained. Besides, Ojai residents were already planning a jubilant celebration, including a barbecue. "We're going to commemorate the event in style and let everybody know we feel good about the advent of our railroad," was the comment from the editor of The Ojai newspaper. Everyone was getting excited about this long-sought-after means of transportation. Wells Fargo and Co. intended to establish an express office at Nordhoff, and Western Union would build a telegraph line from Ventura to Nordhoff after the arrival of the first train. In March 1898, the Ojai railroad became a fact, and Capt. Cross undoubtedly was proud of his work. He should have been, for the road was for all time a thing of beauty. The terrain had presented many challenges to the building of the railroad. Not only the grade, but also the span and height of the bridges were some of the difficulties he had to overcome. As a scenic railroad, it was reported to be "second to none in the world" by the Ventura Signal. As the first engine arrived at the Nordhoff Depot at the end of Fox Street, built on property owned by the Fox family, there was an overwhelming excitement. The train carried many prominent citizens of the county and was greeted by the Ojai and Ventura bands. The tracks were lined with valley residents in anticipation of the train's arrival. The Ojai paper wrote glowing reports about the arrival, stating that the train would be good for the Ojai and would bring a "better class" of people. A typical reaction of the valley residents is summed up in this letter to the editor of The Ojai news in 1898: "Dear Editor: Now that the railroad has arrived at Nordhoff, I wish you would describe the engine for the information of my neighbors and myself who have never seen one. Does it look anything like an elephant? My brother Bobby and I want to go to Nordhoff and look at it, but Ma is afraid we might never come back home alive. Is it really very dangerous? And would it be safe for us to stand close enough to get a good look at it? Respectfully ." Undoubtedly written by a young lady with a great imagination. Since the tracks had been built in close proximity to the Ventura River to save on the construction cost, the train was to suffer many unwanted adventures. In 1901, a heavy rainstorm caused the tracks to wash out near Stoney Flats, now Casitas Springs. In 1905, rain, mud and landslides took out 300 yards of rails and washed out much of the fill used for the grades. In 1907, a downpour that shut down the local schools also took out the bridge just west of the depot. In 1909, the rains came once more, and Mirror Lake, now the area surrounding Woodland Avenue, overflowed and flooded the tracks, and the train stopped running again. The tracks suffered storm damage in 1911, 1914 and 1915, with major washouts in 1923, 1927, 1938, 1943 and 1952. Many of the businesses in Ojai attributed their success to the arrival of the iron horse to the valley. One in particular was the well-known Amelda's Guest Ranch. The guest ranch was lucky enough to have a spectacular view of the Ojai Valley, the stately building sat on a low hill just above the depot. The ranch was actually built on a regular-size city lot, and it was one of the few lots that was zoned commercial/recreational. The imposing ranch house was a multistoried Georgian with a green mansard roof. A veranda wrapped around three sides of the house; the windows were tall and slender, covered by beautiful burgundy velvet draperies that were tied with a gold cord. The lovely ladies that acted as hostesses added the final touch of class. In the lower level of the building there were small "offices" for the use of the "hostesses." They had no windows, nor computers, but there didn't seem to be a lot of complaints. The ladies were paid well and they enjoyed their work. When business was slow, Amelda would advertise her "guest ranch" in The Ojai news and would point out that she did indeed have "reasonable rates." The hostesses were always anxious for the train to arrive, for it did indeed bring a "better class" of people to their ranch. Tragedy not only hit the railroad, but at Amelda's Guest Ranch, as well. One of the hostesses, while working to increase her "household" budget, was caught by a very jealous husband who managed to shoot and kill both her and the gentleman who was kind enough to be helping the hostess to increase her earnings. Amelda was forced to close her guest ranch and Mother Nature was to deal the last blow to the railroad that had done so much for the valley. The year was 1969 and the valley received 40 inches of rain in a two-week period. The little railroad became the target of the storm and the tracks were washed out for the final time. The railroad track was officially abandoned on Dec. 31, 1969, but the remaining sections continued to mar the landscape until 1980 when Ventura County acquired the land from Southern Pacific and eventually built a horse and bike trail on the stretch of narrow property. Today, horses, hikers and bicyclists are making excellent use of this century-old scenic pathway. As for the stately Amelda's Guest Ranch, today it is the girls' dormitory for the Weil Tennis Academy and is owned by the Ojai Valley Athletic Club, formerly Ojai Valley Racquet Club. © 1999 The Ojai Valley News Back to the news