Patterson & Western Railroad

The narrow gauge Patterson and Western Railroad operated for about 25 miles from Patterson through Del Puerto Canyon from September 20, 1916 to August 14, 1920. During World War I, it carried much needed minerals including magnesite, manganese chrome, and quicksilver down the rugged canyon to the processing plant and served dozens of mines. A 3,000 foot tramway climbed to a mine high on the canyon side, and the furthest terminal was the station of Jones, believed to have been 3.8 miles west of this site. After the railroad was abandoned, men on Depression relief programs and later prisoners from the county road camp worked to build a road to San Antone Valley. In 1942, Bill Logan and Ore Minniear, with the help of a bulldozer, became the first to drive from Patterson to San Jose.

California · United States