The Willow Glen Trestle was a modest old Western Pacific Railroad bridge, hidden in plain sight just blocks from downtown Willow Glen, a historic neighborhood of San Jose, California. No longer needed for carrying freight from the local canneries, it was ready for a second life carrying bicyclists and joggers. Community members and City officials worked together to acquire the trestle to become a key link in our regional trail network – but then the City abruptly decided to replace it instead with a new prefab bridge. As community members challenged this capricious decision, they uncovered the trestle’s fascinating past: not only had it shaped the town of Willow Glen, but it also had broken Southern Pacific Railroad’s monopoly and transformed the shipping of fruit from the “Valley of Heart’s Delight.” This book documents our findings and relates the many steps (and missteps) in the yearslong saga of the community’s efforts to save this crown jewel of the trails.

Larry Ames is a retired “mad scientist” (day job: designing satellites to measure the stars) and a “professional citizen” (over 40 years of service on numerous committees, commissions, taskforces, and boards for creeks, trails, parks, historic preservation, and the local community). He drew in friends from all these groups to form the Friends of the Willow Glen Trestle. Dr. Ames now tells the Tale of the Trestle, as seen from the heart of the group that strove to save not only an interesting trail connection but also the historic connection to our agricultural past.
 
Paperback, 230 pages with full-color illustrations.
$30.00 plus tax, free shipping included.