Before 1864, travel around the Santa Clara Valley and beyond was virtually impossible six months of the year: mid-winter and mid-summer the roads were a sea of either mud or dust. Shipping Santa Clara Valley produce to market in San Francisco was difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Michael Pearce, Sourisseau Academy’s Assistant Archivist, chronicles the many railroad lines that changed life in the Valley. Our Valley is still served hourly by the oldest railroad line west of the Mississippi. Once known as the San Francisco & San Jose RR, today we call it Caltrain. Our initial investment, made over 150 years ago, continues to serve us well.

This month’s Sourisseau Academy News Video explores the lives of women who worked in the Santa Clara Valley canning industry.