The city of Reedley, California is located along the Kings River near the historic ferry crossings of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road. The original alignment of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road crossed Kings River north of the community via Poole's Ferry circa 1851-1857. This alignment would be later shifted to what is now Olsen Avenue to the site of Smith's Ferry which was in operation circa 1855-1874. A permanent bridge would be installed at what is now Manning Avenue in 1885 and Reedley would be formally plotted in 1888.
Reedley once was a hub of the Southern Pacific Railroad and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. Kings River Road can be seen underneath the 1911 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway trestle as the blog cover.
Part 1; the history of crossings at the Kings River in Reedley
Prior to the formation of Reedley, the area was traversed by the overland route known as the Stockton-Los Angeles Road. The Stockton-Los Angeles Road came into use after the 1853 Kern River Gold Rush began. The then new wagon road was a replacement of the earlier El Camino Viejo. Unlike El Camino Viejo the Stockton-Los Angeles Road avoided the dense Tule Marches in San Joaquin Valley. The Stockton-Los Angles Road stayed close to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to avoid flood prone terrain.
The Stockton-Los Angeles Road originally crossed the Kings River south of the Millerton at Poole's Ferry. Poole's Ferry is sometimes known as Campbells Crossing which is a reference to the nearby Mount Campbell. Poole's Ferry began operations between Sumner Avenue and Adams Avenue in 1851. Campbells Crossing can be seen along the Stockton-Los Angeles Road on the 1857 Britton & Reys Map of California.
The mainline of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road would later be realigned closer to the present site of Reedley following the establishment of Smith's Ferry at the Kings River. Smith's Ferry would open during 1855 near the modern intersection of Reed Avenue and Olson Avenue. Poole's Ferry would shutter in 1857, but Smith's Ferry would continue to operate under namesake family until 1874.
Poole's Ferry can be seen along the Stockton-Los Angeles Road on the 1873 Bancroft's Map of California. For unclear reasons the more prominent Smith's Ferry is not displayed.
Smith's Ferry was able to out compete the other crossings at the Kings River due to it being location which could be approached during high water. The Stockton-Los Angeles Road would decline in importance following the construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad through San Joaquin Valley during the 1870s. The new freight line was flanked by a series of frontage roads which had measures of flood control and would form the basis for US Route 99 during the twentieth century.
The site of Smith's Ferry can be seen on the 1882 Bancroft's Map of California. The Stockton-Los Angeles Road is shown to bypass Smith's Ferry for a more direct line to the Kings River at Centerville.
The land which the city of Reedley now lies upon at the eastern banks of the Kings River once belonged to Thomas Law Reed. During 1883 Reed donated portions of his property for the Southern Pacific Railroad to construct a new line and station at the Kings River. During 1885 the so-called "Wagon Bridge" was constructed at the Kings River at what was to become Manning Avenue. The Wagon Bridge was a truss design which can be seen in a 1908-era photo (photographer unknown).
The new station completed in 1888 was branded "Reedley" by the Southern Pacific to honor Reed's donation. The then new Southern Pacific line through Reedley included a trestle north of the Wagon Bridge which connected to Sanger and ultimately Fresno. Reed would begin to subdivide the rest of his holdings which were used to form the town plot of Reedley.
Reedley can be seen along the Southern Pacific Railroad southeast of Fresno and Sanger on the 1891 Thompson Atlas of Fresno County.
During 1897 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) constructed a line through Reedley which connected to nearby Parlier. The original ATSF trestle at the Kings River was a wooden design which was located immediately north of the Southern Pacific trestle.
The 1897 ATSF trestle in Reedley can be seen in an image from the kingriverlife.com website.
In 1908 a Cemetary Bridge would be installed at the Kings River at Olsen Avenue. During 1911 the ATSF would replace the original wooden trestle at the Kings River with the steel structure still present. Reedley would incorporate as a city on February 18, 1913. Flooding along the Kings River in 1914 would heavily damage the Wagon Bridge but the structure was refurbished. The Cemetary Bridge was destroyed by the floodwaters and new structure was built to replace it.
The 1924 United States Geological Survey Map reveals the locations of the Wagon Bridge, Olsen Avenue Bridge, Southern Pacific Trestle and ATSF Trestle at the Kings River. The Wagon Bridge can be seen crossing the Kings River south of the rail trestles and passing under both structures along the east bank.
During 1929 the Wagon Bridge was replaced with a new concrete span. The opening dedication of the 1929 Manning Avenue Bridge can be seen below in an image hosted on the kingsriverlife.com website.
The 1929 Manning Avenue Bridge as originally configured can be seen below (from kingsriverlife.com).
During 1950 the second Olsen Avenue Bridge was destroyed by floods on the Kings River. During the 1973 the 1929 Manning Avenue Bridge was widened to facilitate four lanes of traffic. The current Olsen Avenue Bridge was constructed in 1976.
During the 1990s the Southern Pacific trestle was damaged by fire and all freight traffic was rerouted onto the ATSF trestle. During the first decades of the 2000s the ATSF right of way in downtown Reedley was converted to the Reedley Rail Trail. During 2013-2014 a new bridge along Manning Avenue was constructed over the Kings River. The 2013 Manning Avenue Bridge required the demolition of the 1929 span and ruins of the Southern Pacific Trestle.
A historic plaque regarding the history of Smith's Ferry and Poole's Ferry can be found at the northwest corner of Reed Avenue Olsen Avenue.
The site of Smith's Ferry can be viewed facing north from the 1976 Olsen Avenue Bridge.
Part 2; the 1911 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Trestle
From downtown Reedley the 1911 ATSF trestle can be accessed by crossing the Kings River westbound along the 2014 Manning Avenue Bridge and turning north onto Kings River Road.
Kings River Road crosses over the 1911 ATSF Trestle. The trestle structure has a 10'7-foot vertical clearance which can bypassed by jogging to the side through the dirt.
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