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Long before the Internet,
railroads were the high speed network of their day, connecting Petaluma to the world.
The Northwestern Pacific Railroad was an early backbone of the community,
ultimately linking Sausalito to Eureka by the way of Downtown Petaluma.
By the turn of the century,
local leaders recognized the need for an inter-urban railway to connect
Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and other Sonoma County communities.
This led to the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway.
Trains would leave Petaluma, stopping in places along the way such as Liberty,
Stony Point, and Roblar.
When the train got to Sebastopol, passengers could continue to Forestville
or transfer to Santa Rosa.
From Petaluma, passengers and goods could travel to San Francisco via steamboat.
The line opened in 1903, but its future was far from secure.
As automobiles became the preferred mode of transportation,
passenger service was phased out by 1933.
Soon, U.S. Highway 101 became the preferred method of transporting
not only people but goods as well,
and by 1984, the entire line was abandoned.
Today, fragments of the original Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway remain.
In fact, some local Petalumans wish to start a new service along the old right-of-way,
linking the shopping district in Downtown Petaluma the a few miles away.
Perhaps the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway will return once more.
This Heritage Minute was made possible by the Petaluma Downtown Association.