Views near Perris and Moreno Valley, California

These views were taken from Interstate 215 between Perris and Moreno Valley, California, on November 29, 2006. This view shows Terri Peak, part of the Lake Perris State Recreation Area. At an elevation of 2,569 feet, it is the highest point in the recreation area that can be hiked to. In the foreground is a Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers yard near Perris, California.

This is another view of Terri Peak on the left, and Big Rock on the right. Though they appear about the same height, Terri Peak is much further away on the opposite side of Lake Perris. Big Rock is approximately 180 feet tall and is popular for rock climbing. In the foreground is a Ross Distribution Center near Perris, California.

This is the rear end of a retired United States Air Force Lockheed C-141B Starlifter cargo plane at the March Field Air Museum at the March Air Reserve Base between Perris and Moreno Valley. This aircraft entered service in 1964 and was retired to the museum on November 10, 1999. The Air Force retired its last Starlifters in 2006.

This is Box Springs Mountain, which separates Moreno Valley from nearby Riverside. At 3,083 feet tall it is the highest peak in the Box Springs Mountains range. The name comes from a natural spring of water around which a resident built a wooden box to contain the flow of water.

In 1966, a letter "M" was embedded on this side of the mountain as a symbol of Moreno Valley High School. The City of Moreno Valley would not be incorporated until December 3, 1984. This was not the first letter on Box Springs Mountain, however; in 1957 a letter "C" was embedded on the other side of the mountain facing Riverside, about 1,500 feet above the University of California - Riverside campus.

Travel Alberta Visitors Information Centre

The Travel Alberta Visitors Information Centre on Going-to-the-Sun Road in West Glacier, Montana, features visitor information and interpretive displays promoting the Canadian province of Alberta, along with restrooms, telephones, and picnic areas.

1992 California Trip: Towe Ford Museum

After spending another night in Sacramento, we had originally planned to drive on to San Francisco on the morning of March 16, 1992. However, my dad had learned about the Towe Ford Museum (now the California Automobile Museum) in Sacramento and wanted to visit it before we left. Photography was only slightly better here than inside the California State Railroad Museum.

1904 Ford Model B Touring Car

Photo by Cliff West

1908 Ford Model S Runabout
Photo by Cliff West

1912 Ford Model T Touring Car
Photo by Cliff West

1947 Cadillac Limousine
Photo by Cliff West

This 1947 Cadillac Limousine was displayed with a picture of Earl Warren, California's Governor from 1943 to 1953. I don't remember if this was actually Earl Warren's car, or just an example of the type of car he would have used at the time.

1915 Dodge Brothers Touring Car
Photo by Cliff West

1908 Ford Model T Touring Car
Photo by Cliff West

1966 Ford Mustang Convertible
Photo by Cliff West

1957 Ford Thunderbird
Photo by Cliff West

1958 Edsel Citation Hardtop Coupe
Photo by Cliff West

1964 Ford Fairlane 500 Hardtop Coupe
Photo by Cliff West

1955 Ford Thunderbird
Photo by Cliff West

1947 Ford Super Deluxe Sportsman Convertible
Photo by Cliff West

1941 Plymouth Sedan
Photo by Cliff West

1950 Studebaker Commander 4-Door Sedan
Photo by Cliff West

1952 Cadillac 4-Door Sedan
Photo by Cliff West

1946 Ford Super Deluxe Convertible
Photo by Cliff West

1941 Ford Super Deluxe Sedan
Photo by Cliff West

1940 Ford Convertible
Photo by Cliff West

Burma-Shave Signs
Photo by Cliff West

Burma-Shave was a brand of shaving cream that advertised using small signs placed in series along roadsides. Together, six signs made up an amusing jingle followed by the Burma-Shave logo. Initially, the jingles simply promoted the product, but later jingles addressed safe driving. Burma-Shave introduced this method of advertising in 1926 and continued until the brand was purchased by Philip Morris in 1963. Two sets of signs were displayed at the Towe Ford Museum. I found the dates they were introduced at Burma-Shave.org.

From 1939:

HARDLY A DRIVER

IS NOW ALIVE

WHO PASSED

ON HILLS

AT 75

Burma-Shave

From 1955:

SLOW DOWN, PA

SAKES ALIVE

MA JUST MISSED

SIGNS FOUR

AND FIVE

Burma-Shave

For more information about Burma-Shave, visit Burma-Shave.org.

Caboose at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific CA-5 Caboose #25256 was built by Union Pacific’s Omaha Shops in July 1952 as #3956. It was renumbered to #25256 in June 1959. It was retired in September 1983 and donated to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California, in October 1983.

Dynamometer Car at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific Dynamometer Car #137 was built in 1926 by Standard Steel Car with dynamometer equipment and instrumentation from the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Designed to measure the performance of steam locomotives, it was assigned to the Motive Power Department but was also used for freight car testing. In the 1950s it was equipped with new instrumentation for diesel locomotive measurements. As measuring technology advanced, the car eventually became obsolete. It was retired in December 1975 and was donated to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California, by Southern Pacific in December 1979.

Santa Fe Locomotives at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Pictured here at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California are Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe F7A #347C with F3B #347B coupled behind it. These passenger diesels are F-units built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors and are painted in the Santa Fe's famous Warbonnet paint scheme.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #347C is an F7A that was built in September 1949 as #39C. It was renumbered to #306C in April or May of 1971 and was leased to Amtrak in June 1971. By August 1973 it had returned to ATSF and been renumbered to #347C.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #347B is an F3B that was built in January 1949 as #35A. It was renumbered to #307B in April or May of 1971 and was leased to Amtrak in June 1971. In August 1973 it returned to ATSF and was renumbered to #347B.

These two locomotives were retired in July 1975 and were donated to the California State Railroad Museum in March 1986.

Sacramento Northern Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Sacramento Northern locomotive #402 is pictured on the California State Railroad Museum’s turntable. It is an SW1 originally built by the Electro-Motive Corporation in 1939 as Western Pacific #502. Western Pacific sold it to its Sacramento Northern subsidiary in December 1965 and it became #402. It was retired in July 1981. When the Western Pacific was merged into the Union Pacific in 1983, the Sacramento Northern was merged along with it. The locomotive was donated to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California, by Union Pacific in October 1983.

Cab Forward Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific AC-12 Class 4-8-8-2 #4294 was built by Baldwin in 1944 and was retired in March 1956. It is the only surviving example of Southern Pacific’s unique Cab Forward locomotives.

Southern Pacific purchased two conventional 2-8-8-2 articulated locomotives from Baldwin in 1909, but discovered the smoke posed a danger to crews in the tunnels and snowsheds of the mountainous routes they were needed for. The Cab Forward design was developed to solve these problems, placing the crew ahead of the locomotive’s exhaust. The first 2-8-8-2 Cab Forward locomotives were delivered in 1910 and proved to be a success for the Southern Pacific. In addition to the 2-8-8-2 wheel arrangement, Southern Pacific also ordered Cab Forwards with a 2-6-6-2 wheel arrangement which were quickly converted to the 4-6-6-2 arrangement. In 1928, Southern Pacific purchased its first Cab Forwards with a 4-8-8-2 wheel arrangement, the AC-1 class. Southern Pacific ultimately purchased a total of 256 Cab Forward locomotives. All were built by Baldwin, and no other American railroad followed Southern Pacific’s example.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific #4294 was the last steam locomotive purchased by the Southern Pacific. It was in service from March 19, 1944 to March 5, 1956. Southern Pacific wrote off its last Cab Forwards in September 1958. Southern Pacific #4294 was placed on display outside the Sacramento, California, station and dedicated to the city of Sacramento on October 19, 1958. In 1967 it was moved to make room an Interstate 5 ramp, and was stored at Southern Pacific’s Sacramento yards until restored in 1981 and placed in the California State Railroad Museum’s Railroad History Museum in Sacramento. 

Northwestern Pacific at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

This is the herald of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, which ran from Schellville and San Rafael to Eureka on the northern California coast. Established in 1907, the Northwestern Pacific was initially jointly owned by the Southern Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. The Northwestern Pacific purchased its last new steam locomotives in 1922. In 1929 the Santa Fe sold its half to the Southern Pacific, making the NWP a subsidiary of the SP. The last Northwestern Pacific steam locomotive ran on September 20, 1953. From then on, the Northwestern Pacific leased locomotives from its parent, Southern Pacific.

I think this herald was on the tender of T-46 Class 4-6-0 locomotive #112, which was built by the American Locomotive Company in 1908. It was last run in May 1952 and was retired on October 31, 1952. It was donated to the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society on June 18, 1953. Repainted in two-tone green, it was exhibited at Southern Pacific’s centennial display in Sacramento, California, in August 1955.  A restoration was completed on May 18, 1965, and it was moved to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento in 1978. It is the sole surviving Northwestern Pacific locomotive.

Nevada Short Line Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

The Nevada Short Line was a short-lived 36-inch gauge railroad built to reach silver mines in Nevada. Established in 1913 and incorporated in 1914, the 12.5-mile railroad featured a switchback and a 6% grade. Nevada Short Line #1 was one of the line’s two locomotives. It is a 2-6-0 Mogul originally built by Baldwin in 1879 as Utah & Northern Railway Company #13. It passed through several owners before it was purchased by the Nevada Short Line in August 1913 and became their #1.The railroad was damaged by flooding in June 1918 and was abandoned on December 31, 1920. The locomotive was sold to a scrap dealer who resold it to the Nevada Central Railroad of Battle Mountain, Nevada, where it became #6. Like the former North Pacific Coast #12, Sonoma, it was acquired by Nevada Central’s general manager J. M. Hiskey and was used at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco, where it last ran in October 1940. In 1941 it was donated to the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, and was donated to the state of California in 1969. It is new displayed at the California State Railroad Museum’s Railroad History Museum in Sacramento, California.

Sonoma Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

North Pacific Coast Railroad 36-inch gauge 4-4-0 locomotive #12, the Sonoma, was built by Baldwin in 1876 and was last run in October 1940. The North Pacific Coast operated an 80-mile main line between Sausalito and Duncans Mills, but always faced financial difficulty. By the end of 1879, the Sonoma had been sold to the Nevada Central Railroad, where it became #5 and was named General J. H. Ledlie. It was still in service when the Nevada Central was abandoned in 1938, and the line’s general manager J. M. Hiskey acquired it and loaned it to the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. It was taken to the Southern Pacific shops in Berkeley on December 15, 1938, and made to resemble Central Pacific #60 Jupiter for the daily reenactment of the completion of the transcontinental railroad at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco. After the exposition, the locomotive was put into storage in October 1940 and has not run since. It was moved to the new California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California, in 1977. In 1978 it was donated to the museum by the J. M. Hiskey family. It has been restored to its original appearance.

J.W. Bowker Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Virginia & Truckee 2-4-0 locomotive #21, the J.W. Bowker, was built by Baldwin in 1875. Named for V&T master mechanic John William Bowker, it was built with a Knowles steam water pump for firefighting and was used as the switcher in Virginia City. It was renamed Mexico in 1876. It was sold in 1896 to the Sierra Nevada Wood & Lumber Company in Hobart Mills, California. It was donated to the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in June 1937. It was used by Cecil B. DeMille in the 1939 film Union Pacific. Its last run was in June1953 in San Francisco. It has been displayed at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California, since 1976. It is the only surviving Baldwin 2-4-0 in the United States.

Empire Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Virginia & Truckee 2-6-0 locomotive #13, the Empire, was built by Baldwin in 1873. Ordered due to an upswing in freight traffic requiring a more powerful locomotive than the 4-4-0 American-type, the Empire was delivered in February 1873. By the late 1880s, the traffic surge had abated, and the Empire was held in reserve until it was overhauled and returned to regular freight service for another upswing in 1902. In 1910, it was converted from a wood-burner to an oil-burner, and was renumbered to #15, because superstitious crews thought the number 13 was unlucky. The Empire was retired and stored in 1918, and was sold to the Pacific Portland Cement Company of Gerlach, Nevada, where it became #501 and was used as a switcher until 1931, when it last operated. In 1938 it was donated to the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Locomotive and Railway Historical Society and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for storage. It was cosmetically restored in 1966 at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s San Francisco shipyards. In 1976 it was moved to the new California State Railroad Museum’s Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station in Sacramento, California, and two years later underwent a complete restoration. It was placed in the California State Railroad Museum’s Railroad History Museum in 1981.

Genoa Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Virginia & Truckee 4-4-0 locomotive #12, the Genoa, was built by Baldwin in January 1873. The Virginia & Truckee Railroad Company was organized on March 5, 1868, and the 21-mile route between Carson City and Virginia City was completed on January 29, 1870, with an extension connecting Carson City to the Central Pacific Railroad in Reno completed in August 1872. The Genoa pulled passenger, freight and mixed trains on the V&T for nearly 30 years. On December 31, 1908, the Genoa was retired and stored in the Carson City engine house, where it remained until it was sold to the Eastern Railroads Presidents’ Conference in 1939. The Genoa was modified to resemble Central Pacific Railroad #60 Jupiter, one of the locomotives at the driving of the golden spike completing the transcontinental railroad in 1869. It was used in the Railroads on Parade pageant at the 1939-1940 World’s Fair in New York City, and operated at the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair. It was donated to the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, which presented it to the state of California in 1969. For the 100th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad, Genoa It reprised its role as Jupiter for the golden spike reenactment at Promontory Summit in Utah, with Virginia & Truckee #11 Reno playing the part of Union Pacific #119. The Genoa’s last run was at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California, in May 1979. It was then restored to its 1902 appearance as seen here.

C.P. Huntington Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific 4-2-4T locomotive #1, the C.P. Huntington, is displayed in front of a large window at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. It was originally built by Danforth, Cooke & Company of Paterson, New Jersey, in 1863, as the Central Pacific Railroad’s third locomotive, #3, and it arrived in San Francisco on March 19, 1864. It was named for Collis P Huntington, Vice President of the Central Pacific. The locomotive is 29.5 feet long and weighs 21.75 tons. it could pull 4 times its weight. It had a top speed of 35 miles per hour and could maintain a speed of 15 mph on a grade of 26 feet per mile (0.49%). The Central Pacific would have preferred to purchase a larger locomotive, but none were available due to the importance of railroads in the Civil War. The C.P. Huntington was used in the construction of the transcontinental railroad. In 1879 it was transferred to the Southern Pacific Railroad, by then under the same control as the Central Pacific, and became SP #1. It was involved in a head-on collision in 1872 and was rebuilt in 1875 and received a new boiler in 1888. It was renumbered to #1001 in 1891. 

Photo by Cliff West

As Southern Pacific’s oldest locomotive, the C.P. Huntington was displayed at the 1892 California State Fair and the 1894 California Mid-Winter International Exposition before being retired in 1900. It was rebuilt as a weed burner in 1901 but was unsatisfactory. It was rebuilt again in 1910 and used as a shop switcher. It was nearly scrapped in 1914 but was instead restored for display and the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. It continued to make appearances at special events, and was last run in May 1939 at the opening of the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal. In September 1964, the Southern Pacific Railroad donated the locomotive to the state of California and it was placed on display at the old state fairgrounds in Sacramento. It was donated to the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in June 1969. In 1970 it was refurbished by Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops and in 1979 it was placed in the California State Railroad Museum’s reconstructed Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station. In 1980 it was restored to its appearance at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. It is the only surviving standard-gauge 4-2-4T in the United States.

Gov. Stanford Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum

On our family’s California vacation, we spent March 15, 1992, exploring the California State Railroad Museum. 

The California State Railroad Museum first opened in 1976 with the reconstructed Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station, and the Railroad History Museum opened in 1981. Sacramento is a fitting place for the state-operated museum; not only is Sacramento the state capitol, is was also the home of the state’s first railroad in 1856, and was the starting point for the Central Pacific Railroad’s eastward construction of the first transcontinental railroad in 1863.

As I recall, flash photography was not permitted inside the museum, and I don't think my dad brought a flash anyway, so the pictures he took inside the museum did not come out well.

Photo by Cliff West

Central Pacific 4-4-0 locomotive #1, the Gov. Stanford, was the Central Pacific Railroad’s first locomotive. It is named for California Governor Leland Stanford, the first President of the Central Pacific Railroad. It was built in 1862 by R. Norris of Philadelphia. The 40-ton locomotive arrived in Sacramento on October 7, 1863, and made its first run on November 9, 1863.

Photo by Cliff West

The locomotive was downgraded to a switcher in 1873, and was probably renumbered to #212 at the same time. It was renumbered to #1174 in 1891. It made its last run in January 1895 and was retired on July 20, 1895. It was refurbished in 1899 and presented to Stanford’s widow Jane Lathrop Stanford, who in turn donated the locomotive to Leland Stanford Junior University, where it was placed on display from March 1899 until 1963. In May 1963, it was loaned to the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, whose collection formed the basis for the California State Railroad Museum.

South Park Blocks #12: Sovereign Hotel

1211 SW Broadway

Sovereign Hotel on February 15, 2010

Also on the same block as the Oregon Historical Society is the nine-story Georgian-style Sovereign Hotel which was designed by Carl L. Linde and built in 1923.

Sovereign Hotel on February 15, 2010

The building actually fronts on Broadway, and the Washington Ellipse is behind it. The hotel was converted to apartments in 1938.

Sovereign Hotel on February 15, 2010

The Sovereign Hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1981 and was purchased by the Oregon Historical Society in 1982.

Sovereign Hotel on February 15, 2010

The ground floor houses the Oregon Historical Society Museum Store. On the back of the building is a mural of the Lewis & Clark Expedition painted by Richard Haas in 1989.

Continue to 13: Peace Chant…

South Park Blocks #11: Oregon Historical Society

1200 SW Park Avenue

Oregon Historical Society on February 15, 2010

On the other side of the Park Blocks is the Oregon Historical Society Museum. The Oregon Historical Society traces its history back to the Oregon Pioneer Association, which was founded in 1873. The museum's current main building was built with private gifts and was completed in 1966. At the completion of a 2003 renovation it was named the James F. Miller Pavilion.

Oregon Historical Society on February 15, 2010

Photography is not actually permitted inside the Oregon Historical Society Museum, but I didn’t know that and took the following pictures before I was told about the rule. I am posting them so that no one else will be tempted to break the rules.

Benson Automobile on January 23, 2010

One of the exhibits in the Oregon Historical Society Museum is the Benson Automobile, the first automobile built in the state of Oregon. Nils Benson, a “garage inventor,” and his teenage assistant James Chance started working on the car in 1904. Benson ordered some parts and made others at his machine shop on SE Grand Avenue in Portland. The rubber tires were shipped from Indochina.

Benson Automobile on January 23, 2010

The Benson Automobile was displayed at the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland and operated there for 3 months. Later, Benson added a crankshaft and 2 more cylinders for a total of 4 before the automobile was considered finished in 1906.

Benson Automobile on January 23, 2010

Though he originally planned to build more, this was the only automobile Benson ever built. The Benson automobile ended up being stored in a shed behind Benson's home on NE 92nd Place.

Benson Automobile on January 23, 2010

The Benson automobile was sold to neighbor William McAllister in 1951 and then to Walter Rusk in 1973. Rusk restored the automobile in 1973-1974 and donated it to the Oregon Historical Society in 1999.

Meier & Frank Delivery Wagon on January 23, 2010

Another exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society Museum is this horse-drawn delivery wagon used by the Meier & Frank Company to deliver purchases from the department store to customers. Built around 1900, this two-horse wagon was retired in 1908, and Meier & Frank began replacing the horse-drawn wagons with gasoline-powered trucks around 1910.

Next to the Oregon Historical Society Museum Building is a plaza called the Washington Ellipse (although it is not in an elliptical shape). It honors the 200th Anniversary of George Washington's Presidential Inauguration on April 30, 1989 and celebrates the lives and community service of Henry and Romayne Wessinger of Portland, Oregon.

Flying Together by Tom Hardy on February 15, 2010

In the Washington Ellipse is this 1990 sculpture by Tom Hardy, Flying Together, which is in memory of Richard J. Marlitt from Mrs. Richard J. Marlitt, Mr. Thomas Corbett Marlitt and Mr. & Mrs. Michael Ladd Marlitt.

Continue to 12: Sovereign Hotel…