Tarpey Depot - Clovis, California
N 36° 49.524 W 119° 42.030
11S E 259146 N 4078907
This depot is the last existing station of the San Joaquin Valley Railroad. The depot was moved away from the railroad and rehabilitated to serve as the Clovis Tourist Information and Visitors Center in downtown Clovis.
Waymark Code: WM5D2R
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 12/20/2008
Published By:
PFF
Views: 17
From a historical marker on the outside of the building –
Built in 1892 as one of the three depots along the line of the San Joaquin Valley Railroad, this structure was originally located on the Tarpey Ranch just southeast of what is now the intersection of Ashlan and Clovis Avenues. In the span of its existence it has served as a freight and passenger depot, the La Palma Winery office, a post office, a polling place and as the office of Billings and Fine, real estate agents for the Tarpey Village development.
It is the last remnant of the San Joaquin Valley Railroad a 26 mile route from Fresno to present day Friant built in 1891 and sold to Southern Pacific Railroad in 1893. The combination of the railroad and the 42 mile lumber flume from Shaver Lake, built by the Fresno Flume and Irrigation Company and completed in 1894, provided the impetus for the founding of the City of Clovis.
Jim Savage Chapter 1852 – E Clampus Vitus
Dedicated January 9, 2000
Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: No
Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes
If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?:
A visitors center
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: The San Joaquin Valley Railroad
Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the station/depot taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this station/depot and any interesting information you learned about it while there.