Sarah Lim: Streetcars in Merced, really?

There was not one, but two attempts to build a street railway system in Merced in the late 19th century.

You can say great minds think alike because the investors for the respective ventures both submitted their applications to the Merced County Board of Supervisors on March 9, 1888. The end results, however, were fruitless as neither of these entrepreneurs became railway magnates.

The first franchise, headed by an influential lawyer named H. H. McCloskey, intended to build a railway system that would connect the unincorporated town of Merced. It would be both a passenger and freight rail and cars would be run by steam or horse-power twice daily.

The “iron railroad” would start at the intersection of G and 28th streets, travel west on 28th Street, turn left on L Street and continue to 20th Street. It was on 20th and L streets where two lines would be developed westward and southward. The west line would continue on 20th Street until reaching the town western boundary on R Street. The south line would run along L Street to 16th Street, 16th Street to M Street (or Huffman Avenue), M Street to 15th Street, 15th Street to L Street and finally L Street to the southern terminus of 11th Street.

In addition to McCloskey, other petitioners in this franchise included Tuolumne Hotel proprietor William Fahey, El Capitan Colony promoters G.H. Barfield and E.J. Olds, county Assessor M.D. Wood, merchant Abe Jacobs, real estate agent and banker Robert Gracey, title company owner J.H. Simonson and the Security Bank cashier W.W. Westbay.

Unlike the first application for the franchise, the second consisted only of three business associates, D.G. McLean, J.F. McSwain and Carter Landram. They had a real estate office on 16th Street. They were credited with the construction of the Oakdale branch line of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1891.

The McLean group proposed to build a street railway system with several lateral lines from the main hub on 20th Street. Beginning at the intersection of 20th and M streets, a line would run south on M Street and end on 17th Street. Similarly, commencing at the 20th and N street intersection, a line would run south on N Street and stop at the rear of the El Capitan Hotel on 16th Street. At the intersection of 20th and K streets, one line would go north on K Street to Bear Creek and the other would go south on K Street to 16th Street. Then from the K Street South line, one rail line would travel west to M Street from 16th Street and another would travel west to M Street from 17th Street.

Both proposals were granted by the board with one dissenting vote cast by Supervisor W.W. Gray.

Unfortunately, the projects never took off, just like many others during the boom of 1888.

The boom of 1888 refers to an era of rapid development and settlement of eastern Merced County after the completion of Lake Yosemite by the Crocker-Huffman Land & Water Co.

The reality was that Merced was not ready for a street railway system for several reasons.

First, the population for Merced in 1888 was only 1,700, in comparison to Stockton, which had a population of 10,000 when its first street railway system was built in 1874.

Second, Merced’s infrastructure was in such a terrible state with the lack of a proper sewage system and unpaved streets and sidewalks that the citizens demanded that the city be incorporated the following year to improve the basic living conditions.

Finally, granting two competing franchises for the same project in one small town was not a wise financial decision.

So at one time, the citizens of Merced wanted to have a street railway built and it was a serious matter, at least to the Board of Supervisors. What came of it, as we now know, was just another boom-time scheme.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Sarah Lim: Streetcars in Merced, really?."