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March results for "Where in Napa Valley is..."
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CommentNapans know their local landmarks judging from reader response to the inaugural “Where in Napa Valley is ...” contest.
Is that a horse? A moose? A deer? Could it be a zebra? Or a cow?
Is that a horse? A moose? A deer? Could it be a zebra? Or a cow?
Many readers were right on where the animal head is — Dry Creek Road. But there are many variations as to what breed of animal is currently painted on the branch stub of the eucalyptus tree near Alston Park.
For many years, various Napans have been painting whimsical designs on the trunk of the eucalyptus tree.
For many years, various Napans have been painting whimsical designs on the trunk of the eucalyptus tree.
Former Napan Francis Mara grew up in the house at the end of the lane where the landmark tree limb is.
Mara’s family, the Fruehaufs, had bought the ranch from the Hummels.
Mara’s family, the Fruehaufs, had bought the ranch from the Hummels.
Mara recalls the limb was pruned back to the property line in the 1970s by a road crew widening Dry Creek Road to handle the traffic for a nearby subdivision being built.
Mara recalls decorating the branch with Christmas decorations in the early 1980s. Vandals set fire to the Santa hat. A passing motorist helped douse the fire before the fire department arrived. There was no permanent damage to the tree.
No one design has struck Mara as more ridiculous than another.
The Mitchell family made the “Where in Napa Valley is ...” a family affair in with the contest entry.
Each response included photo of Jordan Mitchell, 12, and Kelsey Mitchell, 9, posed next to the animal head with yellow and red striped horns, red lips and buck teeth.
Another reader, Debbie Nichols, e-mailed that she recalled there was once a group of people who led an effort to stop people from decorating the tree because it was dangerous for drivers to take their eyes off the road to look at it.
And the Carpenter family e-mailed back: “The first picture is of what our family has come to refer to as the ‘moose tree’ on Dry Creek Road. When we first moved to Napa approximately eight years ago it was painted as a moose. It has gone through quite a variety of animal faces, some recognizable, some not.
“My favorite was when it had daisies glued all over it.
“When my daughter was 3 (she’s 6 now) she heard me comment to my son about the new face of the moose tree and suddenly out of her car seat came a little voice saying ‘I got up in the night, sneaked out of my room, and painted it.’ She was so serious about it and is such a precocious child, that I had to believe her for a minute. Anyway unless anyone else comes forward as the vandal/artist, I’m not yet ready to rule out my daughter, Janae Carpenter.”
There were many correct responses identifying the Brazos Train Bridge, which is at the end of Milton Road in south Napa.
A phone call to Jeff Fullquist, police chief for the Napa Valley Railroad, led me to Jon Kerruish, with the California Northern Railroad.
Kerruish does not know where the name Brazos came from, but said that the bridge was named by Southern Pacific, which originally owned the rail line.
The Brazos Bridge originally was a swing bridge, but was replaced by a draw bridge that many Napans see on the southern horizon.
The bridge is no longer used. Kerruish is not sure if the draw bridge will still go up and down.
Brazos Bridge is known for a couple of reasons, many readers will recall that a locomotive engine plunged into the river while the bridge was in the raised position. That was in the mid- to late-1970s.
Prior to that, when it was a swing bridge, a locomotive plunged into the water.
The most recent train into the Napa River occurred on a Sunday. No one was hurt.
The locomotive created a large wake on the river giving fisherman quite a rocky ride. The locomotive’s cow catcher caught the back of a boat.
A photographer was nearby when the incident occurred and the locomotive going into the Napa River was captured on film.
The Brazos Bridge has also been a popular party spot for high school kids, and is also where fishermen like to cast their line.
The train tracks are no longer used and the drawbridge, which sits idle is in the raised position. It is now owned by the Golden Gate Bridge District.
Kerruish believes the last time a train crossed the bridge was in 1999 or 2000.
The Brazos Bridge was built in the 1970s. The rail line was mostly used by the lumber industry and extends north to Willits and Eureka.
“In its ‘heyday’ ... quiet a few lumber trains of 80-100 cars came off that line,” Kerruish said.
By the early 1990s it was down to about 50 loads every other day.
Southern Pacific sold the property in about 1996 and sometime between 1998 and 1999 the rail line was shut down.
Napa’s miniature railroad club at the Napa Expo has a replica of the Brazos Bridge, and on the wall is a railroad magazine cover with a photo of the train going into the Napa River.
The miniature railroad club is free and open Friday nights from dusk to about midnight.
Readers had a more difficult time identifying the bell, which proved to be the most difficult item to get information on.
Don Evans, with Napa Valley Unified School District, was the best source of information on the bell, which is in Shurtleff Park on the east side of Phillips Edison School on Shetler Avenue.
According to Evans, the bell was used at Shurtleff School between 1892 and 1965 — the year Napa Valley Unified School District was established, unifying a number of smaller districts — including Shurtleff School District.
At one time there were 90 to 100 school districts in Napa County.
During World War II, Shurtleff District included a small school at Shipyard Acres which was north of the old Kaiser site, which is Syar Industries — now a cemetery.
Shipyard Acres was government housing during the war.
The school burned in 1965 or 1966.
The old Shurtleff School site, which is about half block south of Phillips-Edison School, was sold by the school district to the city of Napa for affordable housing.
Interestingly, the second most common answer was that said the bell was at the pet cemetery off Atlas Peak Road.
Local historian Rebbeca Yerger said most schools used to have bell towers, which traditionally would ring at the start of the school day. More than likely the bell is from a foundry in the Bay Area.
The school was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff.
The winners!
Tiffany Thomas, Napa
Danielle Warnock, Napa
Mara recalls decorating the branch with Christmas decorations in the early 1980s. Vandals set fire to the Santa hat. A passing motorist helped douse the fire before the fire department arrived. There was no permanent damage to the tree.
No one design has struck Mara as more ridiculous than another.
The Mitchell family made the “Where in Napa Valley is ...” a family affair in with the contest entry.
Each response included photo of Jordan Mitchell, 12, and Kelsey Mitchell, 9, posed next to the animal head with yellow and red striped horns, red lips and buck teeth.
Another reader, Debbie Nichols, e-mailed that she recalled there was once a group of people who led an effort to stop people from decorating the tree because it was dangerous for drivers to take their eyes off the road to look at it.
And the Carpenter family e-mailed back: “The first picture is of what our family has come to refer to as the ‘moose tree’ on Dry Creek Road. When we first moved to Napa approximately eight years ago it was painted as a moose. It has gone through quite a variety of animal faces, some recognizable, some not.
“My favorite was when it had daisies glued all over it.
“When my daughter was 3 (she’s 6 now) she heard me comment to my son about the new face of the moose tree and suddenly out of her car seat came a little voice saying ‘I got up in the night, sneaked out of my room, and painted it.’ She was so serious about it and is such a precocious child, that I had to believe her for a minute. Anyway unless anyone else comes forward as the vandal/artist, I’m not yet ready to rule out my daughter, Janae Carpenter.”
There were many correct responses identifying the Brazos Train Bridge, which is at the end of Milton Road in south Napa.
A phone call to Jeff Fullquist, police chief for the Napa Valley Railroad, led me to Jon Kerruish, with the California Northern Railroad.
Kerruish does not know where the name Brazos came from, but said that the bridge was named by Southern Pacific, which originally owned the rail line.
The Brazos Bridge originally was a swing bridge, but was replaced by a draw bridge that many Napans see on the southern horizon.
The bridge is no longer used. Kerruish is not sure if the draw bridge will still go up and down.
Brazos Bridge is known for a couple of reasons, many readers will recall that a locomotive engine plunged into the river while the bridge was in the raised position. That was in the mid- to late-1970s.
Prior to that, when it was a swing bridge, a locomotive plunged into the water.
The most recent train into the Napa River occurred on a Sunday. No one was hurt.
The locomotive created a large wake on the river giving fisherman quite a rocky ride. The locomotive’s cow catcher caught the back of a boat.
A photographer was nearby when the incident occurred and the locomotive going into the Napa River was captured on film.
The Brazos Bridge has also been a popular party spot for high school kids, and is also where fishermen like to cast their line.
The train tracks are no longer used and the drawbridge, which sits idle is in the raised position. It is now owned by the Golden Gate Bridge District.
Kerruish believes the last time a train crossed the bridge was in 1999 or 2000.
The Brazos Bridge was built in the 1970s. The rail line was mostly used by the lumber industry and extends north to Willits and Eureka.
“In its ‘heyday’ ... quiet a few lumber trains of 80-100 cars came off that line,” Kerruish said.
By the early 1990s it was down to about 50 loads every other day.
Southern Pacific sold the property in about 1996 and sometime between 1998 and 1999 the rail line was shut down.
Napa’s miniature railroad club at the Napa Expo has a replica of the Brazos Bridge, and on the wall is a railroad magazine cover with a photo of the train going into the Napa River.
The miniature railroad club is free and open Friday nights from dusk to about midnight.
Readers had a more difficult time identifying the bell, which proved to be the most difficult item to get information on.
Don Evans, with Napa Valley Unified School District, was the best source of information on the bell, which is in Shurtleff Park on the east side of Phillips Edison School on Shetler Avenue.
According to Evans, the bell was used at Shurtleff School between 1892 and 1965 — the year Napa Valley Unified School District was established, unifying a number of smaller districts — including Shurtleff School District.
At one time there were 90 to 100 school districts in Napa County.
During World War II, Shurtleff District included a small school at Shipyard Acres which was north of the old Kaiser site, which is Syar Industries — now a cemetery.
Shipyard Acres was government housing during the war.
The school burned in 1965 or 1966.
The old Shurtleff School site, which is about half block south of Phillips-Edison School, was sold by the school district to the city of Napa for affordable housing.
Interestingly, the second most common answer was that said the bell was at the pet cemetery off Atlas Peak Road.
Local historian Rebbeca Yerger said most schools used to have bell towers, which traditionally would ring at the start of the school day. More than likely the bell is from a foundry in the Bay Area.
The school was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff.
The winners!
Tiffany Thomas, Napa
Danielle Warnock, Napa
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