Historical Notes: A RAILROAD IN MURRIETA?
. . . Not likely in the near future. But Murrieta once did have a railroad – for fifty years, as a matter of fact. And this railroad was instrumental in the transformation of this area from an extensive sheep ranch to a farming region to a city.
As early as 1850 San Diego began pushing for a rail line to connect with San Bernardino and thence to the Santa Fe Railroad’s planned transcontinental line to the east. After 30 years of political and business wrangling, a track was finally laid that traveled up the coast to what is now Camp Pendelton, east through the Santa Margarita Canyon to the Temecula area, up the valley to Lake Elsinore, and from there to Perris and San Bernardino.
But there was one very big problem. The engineers ignored those who said the tracks were too close to the level of the Santa Margarita River and that this river occasionally would flood. Sure enough, two years from completion in 1884, Fallbrook experienced 36 inches of rain and a good part of the roadbed ended up in the Pacific.
To make this part of the story short, the line was rebuilt over the same route, soon washed out again, and consequently abandoned. However, the stretch from Temecula to San Bernardino was retained.
Now, back to 1884 when Juan Murrieta sold 14,500 acres of his 52,000 acre ranch to the Temecula Land and Water Company. This company then proceeded to map out a town site and sell 5 and 10 acre parcels for $10 to $75 per acre. The railroad was persuaded to establish a station in the new town named after Juan Murrieta and the place was in business in a manner not unlike present day real estate promotions:
. . .Murrieta has a magnificent location, pure soft water, splendid climate with a coast breeze to fan the cheek through the summer months. These soft, moist zephyrs refresh and invigorate all things with their breath. We have a beautiful succession of swelling slopes, with every agricultural product of the temperate and tropic zones. . .
The station was located at “B” Street and Clay Avenue, several blocks west of the present day center of Old Town Murrieta. Two related structures of note were built on adjacent land. One was the Fountain House, a restaurant and hotel which became a popular spot for locals and travelers alike. The Fountain House burned down in 1934, but the other structure still stands. That is the 96-foot-tall grain elevator (“The Mill”) built to replace a warehouse used to trans-ship bags of grain by rail.
During its “heyday” over 100 rail cars of alfalfa, wheat and barely, together with poultry and vegetables, were shipped from Murrieta annually. But the railroad was not just an important factor in shipping goods to and from Murrieta -- It was also used also for personal transportation, including high school students commuting to Elsinore and people visiting Murrieta Hot Springs, either for recreation or to be cured by the waters.
So, what happened to the railroad? The answer: Trucking became more frequent and reliable. In 1935 the train made its final run and the tracks were removed. The station was dismantled and the lumber used to build a home on Washington Ave.