Southern Pacific Engine 2252 & Snowplow - Roseville, California

DATE VISITED:  03/28/2015

HISTORICAL SITE:  The Mighty 2252 & Snowplow

LOCATION:  Atlantic St. & Vernon St., Roseville, Placer Co., CA

DEDICATED:  October 13, 2004

"In the early 1900's a decision by Southern Pacific Railroad to relocate its regional operations to this helped turn a small town once known as Junction into the City of Roseville. Locomotive 2252 is a symbol of this history and of the social and economic impact of the railroad on Roseville.

The 2252 was manufactured by Cooks Locomotive & Machine Company of Patterson, New Jersey, in March 1897, as one of 38 identical T-1 class locomotives built that year. Only 2, the 2252 and the 2248 located in Texas, remain.

A locomotive is traditionally classified by wheel configuration. The SP 2252 is considered a 4-6-0 because the engine has 10 wheels consisting of four lead carry wheels, six large drive wheels, and no trailing carry wheels.

Originally numbered SP 1838, the engine became the 2252 when Southern Pacific's numbering system was changed in 1901. The locomotive was first used for freight service along the Donner Pass Line. On May 27, 1929, it was selected and equipped to fight snow-shed, brush, and forest fires along the Donner Pass route in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

 After nearly three decades as a firefighting locomotive, the 2252 was officially retired on February 27, 1956 and subsequently donated to Roseville through the efforts of the Roseville Junior Chamber of Commerce. On April 25, 1956, as part of the "Cinderama" celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of Southern Pacific's relocation to Roseville, it was placed on display at the Placer County Fairgrounds.

In 2001, the Community Coalition for the Relocation of the 2252 was formed when a planned expansion at the Fairgrounds made it necessary to consider options for relocating the locomotive. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Coalition, Roseville Historical Society, City of Roseville, Placer County Fair Board of Directors and the community an agreement was reached to place the 2252 on permanent display at this site.

On October 13, 2004, after a ceremony that featured a "bon voyage" christening by Roseville City officials and a train whistle salute by local students, the 70 ton locomotive was transported across the city. Today, the "Mighty 2252" steam locomotive stands as a vivid testament to Roseville's proud railroad heritage."

   

**closer look below

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: I've gone by this monument several times knowing that at some point I'd make my way there. This monument is more of a local thing for Roseville although the history of the railroad in Roseville is well documented and has been recognized by both State and Federal historical designations.

The monument was so complete that I dont really have a lot to add. It must have cost them quite a bit! But to be honest, I really love one of the picture, I took and I can't just put some random picture, out there without an explanation, so I figured I'd just give the highlights in the life of the SP 2252. 

Next to the SP 2252, sat an older snowplow. It's history is also detailed on a plaque nearby, but it was the blades that I found so interesting.
 
But back to our SP 2252... 

1897 - built by Cooke, one of 38 identical locomotives built, given the designation as SP 1838...was used for freight on the Donner Pass line until something more powerful came along. 

1901 - SP changed their numbering system and the locomotive became SP 2252.

1929 - modified to become a "fire train". Was stationed at Cisco, Truckee, Summit or Blue Canyon. These trains were extremely important in fighting the wildfires started by other steam locomotives, particularly snow sheds at the higher elevations. They protected the route that was built in the 1860's by the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the Transcontinental Railroad. 

1950's - taken out of fire service with the introduction of diesel locomotives and modern firefighting methods.  

1956 - retired and put on display at the Placer County Fairgrounds. Only 2 survive to this day and only one, in Texas, is still in use.

2004 - moved to its current site at one of the entrances to old Roseville.

Once I was done, I checked to see what kind of restaurants were nearby and I saw a place called Chubby's. Remembering a friend at work had asked if I had ever been there...I figured it was time.

TripAdvisor review here.   

  

Japanese American Detention Camp - Sacramento, California

DATE VISITED:  03/28/2015

HISTORICAL SITE:  Japanese American Detention Camp

LOCATION:  Walerga Park - 4901 Palm Ave., Sacramento, Sacramento Co., CA

MARKER #:  934

DEDICATED:  February 1987

"Walerga Assembly Center was established by the United States at the outset of World War II to assemble and temporily detain, without charge or trial, 4,739 Sacramento residents solely because of their Japanese ancestry. Approximately 120,000 persons were uprooted from their West Coast homes and interned in ten War Relocation Centers. Over two-thirds were American citizens by birth. Given the opportunity, many thousands left the ten centers to work on farms and in war industries or to serve with valor in the armed forces. Their acts and deeds gave living proof that Americanism is a matter of mind and heart, not a matter of race or ancestry. May this memorial remind all Americans to be alert so that such injustices never recur.

Camp Kohler succeeded Walerga Assembly Center with the departure of the last Japanese American internee's in late Jun, 1942. After being taken over by the Army Signal Corps, the camp's facilities were greatly expanded to house and train military personnel. Camp Kohler became of the Corps three principal training centers during World War II."

**closer look below

Marker Placed By: Dedicated by the Japanese American Community of Sacramento in cooperation with Sunrise Recreation and Park District 

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: I wasn't sure I would go out this weekend for two reasons. One, I had not finished writing my blog articles until Friday but the second reason is that I am sort of pouting over the fact that I only get 2 days off this weekend. It's amazing how quickly you get used to working only 3 days a week.

But my retirement is edging closer...as so many people keep reminding me and I do realize how fortunate I am to be able to retire so early. With that being said, I decided to pick a monument close to home and nothing too challenging.

In February 1942, President Roosevelt signed an Executive Order which basically gave America the right to "detain" those who were of Japanese, Italian and German ancestry. While there were Italian's and German's interned, it is the Japanese that were treated more unjustly than the other groups. After all, the Italian's and German's had more or less assimilated into American society whereas the Japanese kept to themselves and were encouraged to do so by most Americans.

I find this an interesting chance from the monument I visited last week, the Wakamatsu Tea & Silk Farm Colony. My research there found Americans taking a more positive stance towards the first Japanese coming to America.

During the period from 1860 to 1940, there was a large influx of Japanese, mostly to Hawaii to work in the cane fields. We have found one of the reasons there were so many Japanese migrating away from Japan was in response to the Boshin War. Once here, when their contracts expired, some stayed in Hawaii but many moved to California.

The Japanese naturally kept to themselves but it was made worse by the refusal of the real estate industry to sell properties to Japanese Americans outside of existing Japanese enclaves. In 1913, the California Assembly restricted land ownership to citizens and in 1922, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the government’s right to deny citizenship to Japanese immigrants. Not our finest moment.

When Japan entered WWII by bombing Pearl Harbor, in 1941, Americans were free to fear the Japanese they had come to disdain.

I've always said it's easy to sit in judgment of our past seeing it through the eyes of today's world.

EO #9066 gave the Secretary of War the power to decide which areas of the U.S. were to be considered "military zones". He deemed the entire west coast to be of enough military importance that the Department of Justice was ordered to detain anyone of Japanese ancestry with the exception of those serving in the military.

 

The Department of Justice had some real ethical issues over the detainment's and so the U.S. Army was instructed to carry out the orders.

I read a very interesting (ok, I can see all my family and friends rolling their eyes) article about the interments...looking at it from the vantage point of what was going on in 1941/1942; how quickly the decision had to be made and some of the factors. I'm not saying it was right, but again, it is not us in 2015 making that decision.

But leaving that up to history, the fact is, it happened. The Japanese were to be moved to what the U.S. would consider to be areas at less risk; mainly where no one else wanted to be. But because the decision was made quickly, those camps were not built and the deadline to "surrender" themselves was March 30, 1942. A little over a month!

So the U.S. opened "assembly" areas and the one I visited was in Sacramento. Today, the site is Walerga Park but originally it was a migrant labor camp and, while today's park is small, the original camp was larger than I had thought...eleven blocks with 225 buildings. The population would eventually reach 4,739 individuals before being moved to the permanent site at Tule Lake. It was populated for only 5 months before being closed as a detention center.

 

The site was used for other purposes before burning down in 1947.

In 1982, an official government study found the internments were unjustified and were based on "race prejudice and war hysteria".

PublicLaw #100-383 recommended a written apology from U.S. Government and $20k tax free "redress" person so interred. Those disbursements were made starting in 1990 and I remember someone I worked with saying her father received the funds.