The Flood of 1911, Alum Rock Park - San Jose, CA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

This sign is located on a hiking trail across the road from the significant creek. Escerpts of the text on the sign:
"... On March 7 an 8-foot wall of water from the overflowing creek ran through the railroad tunnel. The flood collapsed the tunnel and wiped out most of the narrow gauge tracks.
The flood damage led to a new broad gauge rail line into the park. The Alum Rock Railway had been sold in 1905 and, over time, joined with the Peninsular Railway (part of the Southern Pacific). The new owners were quick to see the benefit of rebuilding the line in broad gauge -- now the standard for railroads.
... The broad gauge railroad continued to bring thousands of visitors to the park from all over the San Francisco Bay Area until the automobile became the favorite way to travel. The last train left Alum Rock Park on June 12, 1932 and the old rails were removed in 1934.
Today, visitors to Alum Rock Park can still see the old bridge supports and bits of rail along the road from the entrance to the Mineral Springs Area."

Several old stone bridges are still in use in the park, but they were not railroad bridges.

Group that erected the marker: San Jose Parks Department URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Penetencia Creek Road, Alum Rock Park San Jose, CA USA

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.