The town of Bagby by itself has an interesting
history. However the bulk of this post deals with its importance to the
Yosemite Valley Railroad. This rail line was completed in the spring of 1907 primarily
to profit from transporting tourists who arrived in Merced, California, on the
Southern Pacific Railroad whose destination was the Yosemite Valley. Actually, due to national park
regulations, the railroad could not enter park land. However, it built a
station the Y.V.R.R. company officers named El Portal just outside the park’s
boundaries, which was twelve miles from Yosemite Valley. Until 1913, when combustion engine coaches were allowed to enter the park, that last twelve miles was traveled
by stagecoach.
Prior to this time, until stagecoach roads were
built in the mid-1870s, only the most adventurous tourists who were willing to travel by
horse or mule could visit Yosemite. Then, starting in 1874, it was possible
to reach the park from the Southern Pacific Railroad stations such as Stockton,
Modesto, Merced, and Mariposa by stagecoach. After a spur as far as Raymond coming
off the tracks between Merced and Madera was built, the stagecoach travel portion to Wawona in the south of the park was
shortened to two days. In October of 1897, the Sierra Railway reached Chinese
Camp, and it was possible to catch the Big Oak Flat stagecoach to Yosemite
Valley.
However, once the Yosemite Valley Railroad was
completed, it was a game-changer as far as getting tourists to Yosemite
National Park in what was then record time with minimal stagecoach travel.
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| Later picture of Bagby after suspension bridge built 1910 |
Although Bagby, first known as Ridley’s Ferry, came into
existence in the 1850s, it was small and primarily known as the location where
John C. Frémont built his water-powered stamp mills, named Benton Mills in
honor of his father-in-law. At that time, the ferry that crossed the Merced
River allowed equine and wagon travel—including the stagecoach—to cross the
Merced River.
During the late 1800s, there were a multitude of
stagecoach lines to service the foothills communities. However, I could not
find maps showing the route from Chinese Camp, the closest rail stop of the
Sierra Railway to the start of both the Big Oak Flat stagecoach route to
Yosemite nor the route that followed the foothills down to Oakhurst, which in
the 1800s was known as Fresno Flats. The closest I found was a map showing the
locations of California’s gold rush towns.
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| Bagby became a crossroads for road and railroad travel and freight |
Unable to find a map showing the stagecoach route
following the foothill towns and how it intersected with the Yosemite Valley
Railroad at Bagby, I put together one of my own using a map showing gold rush
towns along that route, which today is Highway 49.
I also have a photograph I took of a memorial plaque
on an old gold rush-era building in Chinese Camp that reads as follows:
To
honor Eddie Webb born December 17, 1880, in Snelling, Calif. One of the last of
the stage drivers, Eddie made the haul from Chinese to the Coulterville,
Groveland areas between 1898-1902 and drove the first mail stage over the “new”
Shawmut Road. Dedicated by Matuga Chapter, No. 1849, E Clampus Vitus, May 6,
1961.
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| Bagby 1910 |
However, Bagby really came into its own after the
Yosemite Valley Railroad chose to follow the steep Merced River canyon as the
route for its railroad. It became a prominent rail stop along the line. Once
the line reached the Merced River canyon, almost all of the rail bed needed to
be formed by blasting away solid rock. However, Bagby was one of the relatively
few spots along the river between the San Joaquin Valley and Yosemite where the
banks were not so steep that they prevented building construction. It was
already established and was along a major transportation and supply route. It
possessed enough relatively flat land to allow the construction of a depot,
water towers, a freight warehouse and a turntable to become a major stop.
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| Yosemite Valley RR bridge west of Bagby |
Using Bagby as a depot and supply center was of
enough importance that in spite of the rail line having followed the south bank
of the Merced River for miles, it built a steel bridge to route the tracks to
the north bank of the river to reach Bagby. From there, the tracks continued to
follow the north bank of the Merced River until it reached the end-of-line
station in El Portal.
The Yosemite Valley Railroad reached Bagby in the
fall of 1906, and soon began passenger and freight service. This allowed the
construction of the section between Bagby and El Portal to continue through the
winter months so the line could be completed in spring of 1907, at which time
it became the primary transportation and freight route into Yosemite National
Park.
Unfortunately for the Yosemite Valley Railroad, as
automobile travel became more popular, and after automobiles were allowed in
Yosemite National Park starting in 1913, tourist traffic on the Yosemite Valley
Railroad gradually declined. Carrying freight for the Yosemite Lumber Company and
limestone for the Yosemite Portland Cement Company kept the Yosemite Valley
Railroad in business until the 1940s when those businesses closed. Once the
railroad no longer ran through Bagby, it became a fishing and tourist resort.
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| Bagby Y.V.R.R. before it was moved to El Portal |
Unlike many railroads, there is no railroad museum
dedicated to preserving the equipment or presenting the history of the Yosemite
Valley Railroad. The closest thing to it is some of the old equipment and the
depot on display in El Portal—all of which came from Bagby. Once it was decided
in the 1960s to expand the existing McClure reservoir, which ended up
inundating Bagby, these items were moved.
Now, Bagby is under water most of the time.
Only during periods of drought, when the water level
drops, may some of the foundations of the former railroad town be seen.
A goodly portion of my romance novel, ArdithYosemite Bride, features the development and construction of the
Yosemite Valley Railroad and its quest to reach Yosemite National Park. This
book is now available for sale as an ebook as well as at no additional cost
with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. To find the book description and purchase
options, please CLICK HERE
Sources:
https://www.yosemitevalleyrr.com/prototype/remaining/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Valley_Railroad
https://www.yosemitevalleyrr.com/prototype/thennow/
“Bagby”
from Mariposa County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center group on
Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/MariposaCounty?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZbtTcFRlzXzeTNG2dSVw6_k6_TdbA4CeYI1MRJ9KgVfdOK097iUdROGk8HTU4rOaBvUsp6QsETFDlIPUx9q_1xrKp51LmPe9yZPf604qLMpA9do6-U9vKEOnxneH_ZgHRrONXMobNmKMMfEwjU6152zMkHWH58WhJ76lGQySyj4nojhtGfznXxRLfAjxHtyxaY&__tn__=-UC%2CP-R
