Haystack Landing

Last updated

Haystack Landing is a historic property in Sonoma County, California, now owned by Dutra Materials. Haystack Landing was a passenger and freight connection on San Francisco Bay via the Petaluma River and San Pablo Bay. The landing is currently[ when? ] the site of a historic steamer dock, a railroad bridge, and of a planned asphalt production and storage facility. [1] Haystack Landing was featured in then-congressman Frank Riggs' election campaign in the 1996 California First Congressional District race, when his ties to the property drew criticism. [2]

Contents

History

In the mid-to-late 1850s, a man named Rudesill built a dock for passenger and cargo loading at Haystack Landing after Charles Minturn and Thomas Fulsher Baylis launched competing steam-boat services on the Petaluma River. [3] [4] The Petaluma and Haystack Railroad was founded, built, and then attached to the steamer dock at Haystack Landing, with service beginning on August 1, 1864. This railroad was only the third railroad in California. [4] [5] The connection provided trade from the North via the Petaluma River, which connected to San Pablo Bay and San Francisco Bay. The most commonly traded goods were eggs, chicks, and grain. [6] [5]

In the interest of improving commerce along the Petaluma River, a Congressionally authorized examination of the Petaluma river in 1879 determined that 60,000 tons of freight and 13,000 passengers per year were traveling on one steam boat between Haystack Landing and San Francisco. This examination led to federal funds being appropriated for dredging and maintenance of the river. [7]

In 1933, work began dredging the Petaluma River from the bridge at Haystack Landing to just south of the Petaluma City Limits. [8] Haystack Landing was also the transfer point for gravel used in the Golden Gate Bridge's concrete piers, where the gravel was transferred from rail to barge. [9] [10]

The site was operated as a quarry and asphalt plant from 1968 to 2005 by its current owner, Dutra Materials, which plans to build a new asphalt plant at the same site. [11]

Modern day

Bridge

SMART train crossing the new bridge at Haystack Landing SMART train crossing Haystack Landing bridge.jpg
SMART train crossing the new bridge at Haystack Landing

In 2015, a railroad bridge built in 1903 was removed and replaced with a refurbished bridge that could accommodate high-speed rail traffic. The $4.2 million refurbished bridge, built in 1986, was purchased from Galveston, Texas, where it had been intended to be scrapped. 125 ft (38 m) long and weighing 2.2-million lb (1.00-million kg), the "Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge" uses a counter-weight to raise the bridge. [12] [13]

Dutra asphalt plant and storage facility

The current owner of the property, Dutra Materials, is a company producing asphalt, aggregate, and other similar products. Dutra plans to build an asphalt manufacturing plant and storage facility, but faces substantial local opposition. The company cited the barge landing and access to the freeway as benefits of the location. Concerns were raised about potential noise, air quality, and pollution. In 2009, it was reported the plant would produce 664,000 tons of material per year, with 225,000 tons of that being asphalt. [14] In 2011, environmentalists filed a lawsuit that alleged county oversight of the project was insufficient. Dutra won the lawsuit in 2014. [1] [11] In 2016 the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board expressed concerns that Dutra had not sufficiently explained why this location was better than any other location. [11] In 2017, work began on the asphalt plant, but at that time had not received all of the necessary permits to complete the bulk of the project. [15] On August 17, 2018, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board sent a letter to Dutra stating “… staff have determined that the applicant has not yet demonstrated that the proposed project constitutes the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative.” Concerns were raised regarding plans to use barges on the Petaluma River for shipping, as the nearby Shollenberger Park wetlands considered environmentally sensitive. [16]

Frank Riggs' congressional campaign

Frank Riggs Frank Riggs (12829179784).jpg
Frank Riggs

In 1989, Frank Riggs purchased a 25% interest in a 37-acre parcel of land at Haystack Landing. [17] SFGate reported that it was intended to be developed as a hotel and office complex and that when Riggs was running for US Congress in 1990, he "indicated...he would sell his commercial real estate holdings to avoid any perception" of abuse of office. As of 1996, however, he had not sold his holdings in a partnership that held a 37-acre parcel of land at Haystack Landing, a fact that drew criticism from Democrats. He stated the reason he still held his one-quarter interest was that he was unable to find a buyer. [2]

Riggs was reported to have sold his 37-acre parcel as of March 1, 1998, and to have protested against an environmental protection ballot measure meant to accompany the transportation plan for both the (now) SMART commuter rail and expansion of Highway 101 through Sonoma and Marin Counties. [18] He was reported to have said that highway improvements "...should not be used as an excuse to put a stranglehold on appropriate development." [19]

Legend

Haystack Landing was featured in the film Incident at Haystack Landing, a Blair Witch Project -style film written and directed by Christopher Chacon. The film retells a local legend of multiple deaths, including dock workers killed in a mysterious fire and children being crushed between the dock and a barge. According to the Petaluma Argus-Courier , no historical society treats these legends as having any factual basis. [3] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonoma County, California</span> County in California, United States

Sonoma County is located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its seat of government and largest city is Santa Rosa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petaluma, California</span> City in Northern California, United States

Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Rosa, California</span> City in California, United States

Santa Rosa is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area in California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and Redwood Coast. It is the fifth most populous city in the Bay Area after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont; and the 25th-most populous city in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit</span> Rail service in Sonoma and Marin County, California

Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is a rail line and bicycle-pedestrian pathway project in Sonoma and Marin counties of the U.S. state of California. When completed, the entire system will serve a 70-mile (110 km) corridor between Cloverdale in northern Sonoma County and Larkspur Landing in Marin County. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 474,500, or about 2,700 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern Pacific Railroad</span> Regional railroad in California, US

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a 271-mile (436 km) mainline railroad from the ferry connections in Sausalito north to Eureka with a connection to the national railroad system at Schellville. The railroad has gone through a history of different ownership and operators but has maintained a generic name of reference as The Northwestern Pacific Railroad, despite no longer being officially named that. Currently, only a 62-mile (100 km) stretch of mainline from Larkspur to the Sonoma County Airport in Windsor and east to Schellville on the “south end” is operated by Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), which operates both commuter and freight trains with plans for future extension north to Cloverdale. The “north end” from Willits to Eureka is currently out of service, but saved by 2018 legislation to be converted into the Great Redwood Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRCB (TV)</span> PBS member station in Cotati, California

KRCB is a PBS member television station licensed to Cotati, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Northern California Public Media, it is a sister station to NPR members KRCG-FM (91.1) and KRCB-FM (104.9) and independent noncommercial station KPJK. The stations share studios on Labath Avenue in Rohnert Park; the TV station's transmitter is located at Sutro Tower in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petaluma River</span> River in California, United States

The Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough for most of its length. The headwaters are in the area southwest of Cotati. The flow is generally southward through Petaluma's old town, where the waterway becomes navigable, and then flows another 10 mi (16 km) through tidal marshes before emptying into the northwest corner of San Pablo Bay.

California's 2nd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in California. Jared Huffman, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2013. Currently, it encompasses the North Coast region and adjacent areas of the state. It stretches from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, and includes all of the portions of Highway 101 within California that are north of San Francisco, excepting a stretch in Sonoma County. The district consists of Marin, Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity Counties, plus portions of Sonoma County. Cities in the district include San Rafael, Petaluma, Novato, Windsor, Healdsburg, Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Fortuna, Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville, Crescent City, and northwestern Santa Rosa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferries of San Francisco Bay</span>

San Francisco Bay in California has been served by ferries of all types for over 150 years. John Reed established a sailboat ferry service in 1826. Although the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge led to the decline in the importance of most ferries, some are still in use today for both commuters and tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad</span> Northern California railroad from Ukiah to Tiburon with ferry to San Francisco (1869-1907)

San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad (SF&NP) provided the first extensive standard gauge rail service to Sonoma County and became the southern end of the regional Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Although first conceived of by Asbury Harpending, who had even obtained many of the right of ways, the SF & NP was bought and subsequently constructed by Peter Donahue, who drove the first spike on August 30, 1869.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petaluma Downtown station</span>

Petaluma Downtown station is a Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit station in Petaluma. It opened to preview service on June 29, 2017; full commuter service commenced on August 25, 2017. A new platform and facilities were constructed adjacent to the historic Northwestern Pacific Railroad station building, which opened in 1914. It is the system's first station to open in the city, with Petaluma North station set to open later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windsor station (California)</span>

Windsor station is a bus station and future Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) train station in Windsor, California. The station serves Sonoma County Transit and Mendocino Transit Authority, with service to Sonoma County Airport station provided by Sonoma County Transit under contract by SMART.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petaluma North station</span>

Petaluma North station is a planned Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit station in Petaluma, California located at Corona Road and North McDowell Boulevard. The station was planned as an infill station to be constructed after the initial phase of the system's construction had been completed. The site may include a 150-space parking facility. In addition to vehicle and bicycle parking, there will be electric vehicle charging stations available at the station.

Herbert Archer "H.A." Richardson was a timber baron, shipping magnate, and pioneer of Sonoma County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neils Island</span> Island in California

Neils Island is a former island in Sonoma County, California, close to the Petaluma River, upstream of San Pablo Bay. Its coordinates are 38°11′27″N122°34′41″W, and the United States Geological Survey measured its elevation as 82 ft (25 m) in 1981. It appears in a 1954 USGS map of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tubbs Island</span> Island in California

Tubbs Island is an island in San Pablo Bay. It is in Sonoma County, California, and parts of it are managed as part of the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area. Its coordinates are 38°08′59″N122°25′27″W, and the United States Geological Survey measured its elevation as 0 ft (0 m) in 1981. It, long with Island No. 1, Island No. 2 and Green Island, are labeled on a 1902 USGS map of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Point Railroad Bridge</span> Railroad bridge spanning the Petaluma River in California

The Black Point Railroad Bridge is a truss swing bridge spanning the Petaluma River, located in Black Point-Green Point, California.

The Great Redwood Trail is a proposed multi-use rail-to-trail project connecting San Francisco and Humboldt bays in Northern California. Most of the trail will be built on the rail bed of the defunct Northwestern Pacific Railroad along the Eel River Canyon by the Great Redwood Trail Agency. The southern portion will be built by Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) along their commuter rail line. The trail route is within 5 counties, 14 cities and the ancestral territory of many tribes. Some portions have already constructed by local jurisdictions with more being developed in cooperation with local governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haystack Landing Bridge</span> Bridge

The Haystack Landing Bridge is a railroad bridge owned by Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) at Haystack Landing in Petaluma, California. The original Haystack Landing bridge, which was built in 1903 and installed in 1904, was a Warren truss swing bridge built by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. It was operated by buttons on the approach trestles, and had a 5-horsepower (3.7 kW) electric motor, as well as fabric belts and bevel gears. The turntable upon which it rotated had a diameter of 10 feet (3.0 m). When planning out their commuter rail system, SMART estimated that it would cost approximately 20 million dollars for the bridge to be used for passenger service, so they opted for the cheaper option of buying a used drawbridge. They decided upon the old Galveston Causeway railroad bridge, that was planned to be scrapped.

References

  1. 1 2 Wilkison, Brett (January 14, 2011). "Petaluma, environmentalists sue to block Dutra asphalt plant". Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Doyle, Jim (October 24, 1996). "Riggs in a Fight for His Political Life / Ties to Gingrich an issue on North Coast". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Winegarner, Beth (2007). Sacred Sonoma: Sacred sites and alignments in Sonoma County, California. Kirin Books. pp. 99–101. ISBN   978-1-4303-2067-8. OCLC   213098253.
  4. 1 2 Heig, Adair (1982). History of Petaluma: A California River Town. Petaluma, CA: Scottwall Associates. pp. 75–76.
  5. 1 2 Wilson, Simone (2001). Images of America: Petaluma, California. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 49, 51. ISBN   978-0-7385-1899-2.
  6. ↑ "Railroad history runs deep in Petaluma". Petaluma Argus Courier. September 28, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Plan Improvements of the Petaluma River". The Press Democrat. December 19, 1913. Retrieved February 11, 2020– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  8. ↑ "$200,000 River Work Starts At Petaluma". Healdsburg Tribune. January 25, 1933. Retrieved February 11, 2020– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  9. ↑ "Concrete Pouring At Marin Bridge Head Starts Soon". Sausalito News. May 5, 1933. Retrieved February 11, 2020– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  10. ↑ "Healdsburg Gravel in Bed of Famous Bridge". Sotoyome Scimitar. May 4, 1933. Retrieved February 11, 2020– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  11. 1 2 3 Gneckow, Eric (November 24, 2016). "Regulators question Dutra asphalt plant". Petaluma Argus Courier. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  12. ↑ Prado, Mark (August 13, 2015). "Bridge placed over Petaluma River to connect SMART trains between Marin, Sonoma". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  13. ↑ Moore, Derek (August 12, 2015). "New rail bridge soon to span Petaluma River". Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  14. ↑ Young, Corey (March 12, 2009). "County postpones final review of controversial Haystack Landing proposal". Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  15. ↑ Brown, Matt (August 3, 2017). "Work begins at site of Dutra's Petaluma plant". Petaluma Argus Courier. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  16. ↑ Charrier, Emily (August 30, 2018). "Petaluma River asphalt plant dealt setback". Petaluma Argus Courier. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  17. ↑ Murphy, Dan (August 8, 1990). "Riggs attack on Bosco's dealings draws return fire". Healdsburg Tribune. Retrieved February 11, 2020– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  18. ↑ Sweeney, James (July 17, 1998). "Riggs Joins Protest of Highway 101 Plan". The Press Democrat. p. A1.
  19. ↑ "The Latest Snag South County Property Owners Mustn't Derail Transpotation Plan". The Press Democrat. July 18, 1998. p. B6.
  20. ↑ Baig, Yousef (October 27, 2018). "Is Petaluma haunted? Ghost stories abound". Petaluma Argus-Courier. Retrieved January 25, 2020.

38°13′27″N122°36′33″W / 38.2242°N 122.6092°W / 38.2242; -122.6092

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.