History
Program
of the Oceanside Depot
Saturday, February 2nd at
10:00 a.m. the
Oceanside Historical Society together with the Oceanside Public Library
presents a photographic history of the Oceanside Depot and the impact of the
railroad on the development of our city. President Kristi Hawthorne will
narrate the presentation which will include photographs spanning over 100
years of Oceanside History.
Oc
eanside's
first train depot was a simple wooden platform in 1884 surrounded by brush and
shrub. In a few short years Santa Fe would build a brand new depot
befitting a growing town, located at the end of Second Street near
Cleveland. The train brought passengers on their way to San Diego or Los
Angeles. Many of those travelers stopped and stayed in Oceanside, buying
property and relocating their families. The South Pacific and St.
Cloud Hotels catered to the train passengers. The railroad was vital to
farmers and ranchers of the San Luis Rey Valley and the Rancho Santa Margarita
to ship and deliver their valuable crops.
A popular route linked Oceanside
to Escondido in the late 1890s and continued to the 1940s. This route
will soon be rediscovered and re-traveled by the new Sprinter. Tom
Kelleher of NCTD will be a guest speaker and Dr.
Herbert Gabriel, an Oceanside native, will share his memories of
the train. His father, Oscar Gabriel was roadmaster for the Santa Fe Railway
and came to Oceanside in 1911.
The program is free, open to the
public and will be held at the Oceanside Library Community Rooms
at 330 North Coast Highway.
For more information contact
Kristi Hawthorne of the Oceanside Historical Society at 760-390-4192 or Brad
Penner with the Oceanside Public Library at 760-435-5575.