Clang, Clang, Clang Went the Trolleys
Today in San Francisco, cable cars are a shining tourist attraction climbing the City’s steep hills as they have for over a century. But Eureka once also boasted a network of street cars – though scrapped well before realizing any tourist potential.
In 1887, the City of Eureka granted a license to the Eureka Street Railroad Company to begin building a network of rail lines for horse-drawn trolleys. Steel for the tracks was shipped in by steamers. With the car barn and stables at Second and C Streets, the network soon reached much of the then much smaller town.
The trolleys were popular and fares were ten cents a ride, but the company continued struggling financially. It changed management several times before the operation shut down in 1897 and the horses and cars were sold.
But Eureka’s citizens still wanted trolleys. In 1903 the City Council accepted a bid for an electric trolley system from the Humboldt Transit Company. Used trolley cars were purchased from San Francisco and painted a cheery red and gold. More lines were laid, sometimes requiring trellises over muddy gullies.
Trolley travel was in demand from more than those who wanted to shop or work downtown. Some of the more popular destinations were the race track and distilleries on Broadway. And the lines were essential to get workers to the lumber mills on the bay front and the ferry connection to the Samoa mills.
As Sequoia Park and the nearby zoo, dance hall and saloon developed in the early 20th century, a line was extended south becoming highly popular for weekend excursions. However, plans to extend a line to Arcata never got far.
In 1921, by popular vote, the city took over the transit system. Meanwhile the increasing availability of automobiles reduced demand for public transit. Gradually trolley lines were closed and replaced by buses. Some scrapped trolley cars were used for filling in cavities under roads, later causing unexpected subsidence. Then in 1940, came the spectacular end of the trolley system as one of the last trolley cars was ceremonially set afire on 5th Street between E and F. Several thousand people watched the event and the associated parade and band performances. The excitement of the affair was enhanced when several nearby buildings also caught fire and the Fire Brigade arrived.
The last contribution that the trolley system made locally was when the remaining tracks were torn up and salvaged for the World War II scrap drive.
The trolley story and other aspects of our history are explored in greater detail in the archives of the Humboldt County Historical Society. There are found not only financial records and route maps but also reminiscences of those who rode or drove the trolleys. These include some infamous accounts of rum-running during Prohibition and pranks when children secretly hitched rides or greased the rails so the trolley cars would slide off the end of the tracks.
And when looking at the big picture, one can guess that in several decades, history might record how Eureka decided to increase its tourist income and reduce its climate changing carbon footprint by reintroducing trolleys. History can at times circle back – much like a train track.