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39-563: (Redirected from Napa Valley Rail Road ) Napa Valley Railroad may refer to: Napa Valley Railroad (1864–1869) , predecessor of the Southern Pacific Company Napa Valley Wine Train Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Napa Valley Railroad . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

78-613: A Calistoga resort owner. The track from Soscol to Napa was completed on July 11, 1865. The NVRR reached Oakville on September 15, 1867, St. Helena on February 27, 1868, and Calistoga on July 31, 1868. After the Cal-P built through the lower Napa Valley to Vallejo, the NVRR built a connection south to the Cal-P at Adelante in January, 1869. The California Pacific purchased the NVRR in June 1869 when

117-530: A much shorter time. The California Pacific Railroad Company (Cal. P. R. R. Co.) was established in January 1865 for the purpose of building a railroad from Vallejo to Sacramento, with a branch off to Marysville. Connection between Vallejo and San Francisco was to be made by ferryboats. That same month the Company entered into contract with Dewitt Clinton Haskin to build the entire railroad. The California Pacific commenced construction at South Vallejo (west of

156-740: A schedule designed to optimize conditions for plants which provide seeds preferred by waterfowl, namely alkali bulrush , fat hen , and brass buttons . Ponds left flooded through at least the spring provide brood rearing habitat. The flood-and-drain cycle is also designed to minimize soil salinity by leaching and flushing salts. This flood management program also supports plants such as tules , cattails , saltgrass , and pickleweed , which may not yield preferred waterfowl food seeds, but do provide habitat for invertebrates important to pre-breeding waterfowl and other wildlife. When Suisun agricultural lands reverted to wetlands, they provided habitat for waterfowl displaced decades earlier by reclamation. In addition,

195-541: Is Grizzly Island Wildlife Area which is managed primarily for waterfowl, although over 230 species of birds have been seen here as well as many mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. Grizzly Island has an unusually dense population of river otters, which can be seen swimming in its numerous sloughs, ponds, and roadside ditches. In the fall, the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area herd of tule elk breeds. The bugling of bull elk can be heard especially in

234-458: Is an important area for native fishes including the delta smelt which is protected by the federal Endangered Species Act . Suisun Marsh is home to the only two known occurrences of the Suisun thistle, Cirsium hydrophilum var. hydrophilum , a variety of thistle which is a federally listed endangered species . The Suisun thistle is perennial and stays in its juvenile stages of life until it

273-457: Is divided into six stations, each focused on a facet of Patwin culture and daily life. At these stations, RREC docents use replicated tools and materials to demonstrate the ways in which the Patwins were able to thrive and ensure generational survival using seasonally available resources and by employing sustainable harvesting and natural resource conservation. Another public part of the marsh

312-581: Is home to many species of birds and other wildlife, and is formed by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers between Martinez and Suisun City, California and several other smaller, local watersheds. Adjacent to Suisun Bay , the marsh is immediately west of the legally defined Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as well as part of the San Francisco Bay estuary. The Suisun Marsh

351-618: Is informally known as the "Cal-P" after the original builder of the line, the California Pacific Railroad. California Pacific purchased the Napa Valley Rail Road at foreclosure on June 9, 1869. The Napa Valley Rail Road was built from the head of navigation on the Napa River, Soscol, near Skaggs Island, to Napa , St. Helena , and Calistoga. It was backed by a group headed by Samuel Brannan ,

390-739: Is named for the Suisunes , a Patwin / Wintun sub-tribe, who inhabited the area around 200 years ago. Suisun Marsh, 116,000 acres (470 km ) of land, bays, and sloughs, is one of the largest estuarine marshes in the western United States. Geologically, the Suisun Marsh is the product of water-borne sediment deposition, carried from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers into the San Francisco Bay. This process—the weathering of

429-526: The Carquinez Bridge ) in December 1866 under the contractor D. C. Haskin. Rails began to be laid on April 10, 1868. Two months after tracklaying began, the track was completed from Vallejo, via Napa Junction and Jameson Pass, to Suisun on June 24, 1868. The main route from Vallejo to Sacramento, actually to the town of Washington, California, across the Sacramento river from the city of Sacramento,

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468-721: The Feather River Canyon.] The other route from Sacramento through Stockton, to Banta and Tracey Junction , thence to Martinez to Oakland, was able to avoid the heavy grades of Altamont Pass, but was 132 miles (212 km), twelve miles longer. The Central Pacific was searching for a shorter route from the Bay Area to Sacramento and was eyeing the California Pacific (Cal-P) road between Sacramento and Vallejo, completed in November 1868, which became

507-665: The San Francisco Bay Area , a distance of 120 miles (190 km). That line was constructed by Leland Stanford 's Central Pacific Railroad subsidiary, the Western Pacific Railroad (of 1862) . The route over Altamont Pass was completed to Alameda Terminal in September 1869 (and to Oakland Long Wharf in November 1869). [Note: This Western Pacific (1862-1870) is unrelated to the Western Pacific Railroad (of 1916) that ran to Salt Lake City via

546-672: The Southern Pacific and currently by the California Northern Railroad . Suisun Marsh Located in northern California , the Suisun Marsh ( / s ə ˈ s uː n / soo- SOON ) has been referred to as the largest brackish water marsh on west coast of the United States of America . The marsh land is part of a tidal estuary , and subject to tidal ebb and flood. The marsh

585-442: The 17 miles (27 km) of track across the Suisun Marsh to Benicia, but could not complete it until 1879 because of the unstable subgrade through the marsh, which required tons of crushed rock to stabilize the subgrade. A railroad ferry Solano was established in December 1879 to carry entire trains across Carquinez Strait between Benicia and Port Costa , which enabled the transcontinental trains to reach Oakland, California in

624-854: The California Water Resources Control Board to support "beneficial uses" in Decision-1485, the California State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project built the Montezuma Slough Salinity Control Gates. They began operation in 1989. The gates span Montezuma Slough near the Roaring River intake and are periodically operated from October to May to meet the more recently established salinity standards set by Decision-1641, to block

663-580: The Marsh prevent salinity intrusion into the freshwater of the Delta used by 22 million people for drinking water. As noted above, the dikes, or levees, of Suisun Marsh were originally built by nineteenth century farmers seeking to create farmland from tidal marsh. While this system is still in use on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta islands to the east, it failed in the Suisun Marsh due to unacceptably high soil salinities. Portions of

702-592: The NVRR was sold under foreclosure. After purchasing the Cal-P, the Southern Pacific operated passenger service to Calistoga until 1929. In the 1980s, as freight service declined, the track beyond St. Helena was abandoned. In 1987 the track from Napa to St. Helena was sold to the new Napa Valley Railroad for operation of the Napa Valley Wine Train . The Cal-P also built a line from Davisville (Davis) to Yuba City/Marysville. The track

741-497: The Sacramento-San Joaquin watersheds altered the natural salinity regime of the marsh, making it more saline. In an effort to maintain the wetlands, the marsh landowners sought legislation to preserve the area from residential or commercial development. In addition, they pursued relief from the impacts of the water projects on the salinity regime of the marsh. As a result, the parties entered into agreements to offset

780-509: The basis for a Cal-P Vallejo route of about 90 miles (140 km) when steamer ferry service between San Francisco and Vallejo was inaugurated by Cal-P in January 1869. In July 1871, the Central Pacific offered to buy the Cal-P, but their offer was rejected. Central Pacific announced plans to build a parallel route of the Cal-P but diverging at Napa Junction via the Suisun Marsh to Benicia . In September 1871, Central Pacific gained

819-452: The company operated a passenger ferryboat ( New World ) from San Francisco to Vallejo and thence a railroad to Sacramento . It also had a branch from Adelante (later Napa Junction, now American Canyon ) to Calistoga and another from Davis to Marysville . The Cal-P operated independently from 1865 to 1876. It was then operated by the Central Pacific and was finally sold to the Southern Pacific. Amtrak 's Capitol Corridor follows

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858-562: The early morning and evening. Access to certain areas of the Wildlife Area is limited during the first nine days of pheasant hunting season around November, and on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the waterfowl hunting season from October through January. Studies by the CALFED Suisun Marsh Levee Investigation demonstrate that the current configuration of the 230 miles (370 km) of levees in

897-422: The impacts of the water projects on the managed wetlands. Suisun Marsh supports a diversity of fish, wildlife and plants, including a large population of river otters , a number of native fish species, and birds ranging from marsh wrens to American white pelicans . Rush Ranch is a 2070-acre (8.4 km ) remnant tidal marsh preserve within Suisun Marsh that was acquired for wildlife habitat and public access to

936-434: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Napa_Valley_Railroad&oldid=1196492248 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages California Pacific Railroad#Napa Valley Railroad Beginning January 1869,

975-522: The majority of its stocks and thus control of the California Pacific. The California Pacific, facing financial and expansion difficulties, finally was sold to the Central Pacific in 1876. The Central Pacific proceeded to shift from the Cal-P Sacramento to Vallejo mainline in favor of a line diverging at Suisun across the Suisun Marsh to Benicia on the northern shore of Carquinez Strait . In October 1877. Central Pacific began construction of

1014-775: The marsh by the Solano County Farmlands and Open Space Foundation in 1988. The non-profit organization, dedicated to protect and preserve farmland, ranchland and open space in Solano County, has been renamed Solano Land Trust. A component of the Solano Land Trust located at Rush Ranch is the Rush Ranch Educational Council, more commonly known as RREC. RREC is an all volunteer, non-profit organization that offers an educational program to 3rd and 4th grade students who visit

1053-413: The marsh measure the impact of water management activities on fish populations, and fish screens prevent the diversion and entrapment of fish in the waterfowl ponds. The Marsh supports 80% of the state's commercial salmon fishery by providing important tidal rearing areas for juvenile fish allowing them to grow twice as fast as those reared in the upper watershed, thus, greatly enhancing their survival. And

1092-491: The marsh than does the matching flood tide following the more direct route in the main Suisin Bay channel. Thus, high tide at the east end of the slough arrives out of phase with high tide in the main channel, and rather than being pushed back, as it would be in the main channel or in a dead-end slough, the slough water keeps flowing eastward, drawing more saline water with it. To meet the salinity requirements stipulated by

1131-417: The marsh were subsequently converted from farming to permanently and seasonally flooded wetlands in the twentieth century. Approximately 230 miles of levees maintain seasonally and permanently flooded wetlands. Between approximately mid-October and mid-January, managed seasonal wetlands are flooded to a depth of 8 to 12 inches to attract waterfowl. The rest of the year, the ponds are flooded and drained on

1170-611: The original Cal-P Line from Sacramento to Suisun / Fairfield on its way to, via Martinez, Oakland and San Jose . When the transcontintal railroad first crossed the U.S. in May 1869, it wasn't truly a transcontinental line because it terminated at Sacramento, short of the Pacific coast destination of San Francisco or Oakland Harbor. The first truly transcontinental railroad was completed September 1869, from Sacramento through Stockton , over Altamont Pass and thence via Niles Canyon to

1209-570: The parent rock of the Sierra Nevada and Vaca Mountains , transport of the weathered material via rivers and creeks, and ultimate deposition into San Francisco Bay—has taken place over thousands of years and has resulted in the patchwork nature of the marsh. The marsh areas consist of peat soils formed by the decay of emergent plants over time. Originally, Suisun Marsh was a vast stretch of tidal wetlands broken by branching tidal channels and ponds. The area alternately flooded and drained with

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1248-552: The presence of these new wetlands eased waterfowl crop depredation in the Central Valley . It also provided habitat no longer available in the Central Valley due to extensive reclamation for agriculture and urbanization. By about 1930, waterfowl hunting had become the primary use of the Suisun Marsh. It is the dominant use today, with 158 private duck clubs and large public hunting areas. The wetland managers for both

1287-425: The private hunting clubs and the state's public land take water from major and minor sloughs throughout the marsh. Montezuma Slough, one of the largest, is open at both ends, and its flood tide current is longer and stronger than its ebb tide current, causing a net west-to-east flow which draws higher saline water eastward from Grizzly Bay. The flood tide pushing through the slough takes half an hour longer to traverse

1326-541: The ranch on field trips. The program is offered at no charge, made possible by a grant from the Nature Conservancy in partnership with the Solano Land Trust. The program—designed to meet California K-12 education standards for history-social studies—teaches children about the original inhabitants of the ranch, the Patwin Indians, on a recreated Patwin village located on the ranch. The interactive program

1365-473: The rise and fall of the tides. In winter, the ponds supported high numbers of migratory waterfowl . From the years of the Gold Rush to about 1880, the marsh was extensively used by market hunters to provide fresh waterfowl and feathers to San Francisco markets. From the 1880s until the 1930s, however, this area was gradually converted to agriculture, made possible by the construction of levees to hold back

1404-548: The salty flood tide from Grizzly Bay but allow passage of the freshwater ebb tide from the mouth of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Because the Salinity Control Gates are more effective than anticipated other proposed salinity control measures were abandoned. The gates operate as needed from October through May. Although the Suisun Marsh is managed for waterfowl, it is also an important fish habitat, especially for wild salmon . Monitoring stations throughout

1443-505: The water. Eventually, increasing soil salinity made cultivation and even cattle grazing unprofitable and cultivation ceased on all wetland areas. Most of the marsh was then purchased by public and private interests as habitat for waterfowl, mainly to support hunting. Later, the construction of water development projects (specifically, the federal Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project ) in

1482-472: Was completed November 11, 1868. The original route of the Cal-P mainline from Suisun to Vallejo is now the route of the California Northern Railroad between Vallejo and Suisun and can be seen along portions of State Route 12 . The original Cal-P line ran to Vallejo, not along the present main line route through the Suisun Marsh between Suisun – Benicia – Martinez. The Southern Pacific line between Martinez and Sacramento (or perhaps Oakland and Sacramento)

1521-415: Was completed from Davisville – Knight's Landing on September 23, 1869. The line reached Yuba City on November 22, 1869, and Marysville on February 15, 1870. A branch line to Josephine opened in 1926. The line between Knights Landing and Marysville was abandoned in sections between the 1940s (at the northern end) and the early 1970s (at the southern end). The line from Davis to Woodland was later operated by

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