Arcata and Mad River Rail Road Company

The 1970 bronze, co-placed by the railroad, calls the line the oldest on the north coast in the present tense; it no longer runs. It began in 1854 as a plank walk and wharf across Arcata's mud flats, worked by a horse-drawn car; locomotives came after 1881, and the rails pushed up the Mad River to the Korbel brothers' mill. It was the Annie and Mary, from its initials or, in the other story, two clerks at either end. The rails were pulled up for salvage in 1997, and residents have since campaigned to make the grade a trail.

What the plaque says

Arcata and Mad River Rail Road Company Incorporated December 15, 1854, as the Union Plank Walk, Rail Track, and Wharf Company, the Arcata and Mad River Rail Road is the oldest line on the north coast. Originally using a horse-drawn car, the railroad served as a link between Humboldt Bay and the Trinity River mines. Later, locomotives were added as the line grew to serve the redwood industry. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 842 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Humboldt County Historical Society and the Arcata and Mad River Rail Road Company, September 26, 1970

Where it stands

More markers nearby

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