The official and unofficial histories of communities, towns, villages and cities do not always reflect the actual reasons that population centers evolved. The "river runs through it" is the genesis of many towns and cities across the country, and indeed the world .... Here in Lodi, what runs through it is a different story.
Lodi, California is no different than many other cities ... but its original cause is heard daily ... as the whistles of trains passing through Lodi on their way to or from some other valley destination.
Sometime around 1869 settlers in the community enticed Central Pacific Railroad to build a station in the community that was to become Lodi. As a result of the railroad getting a 12 acre reserve .... Right in what would be the middle of town, Mokelumne (Station) evolved. Other communities with similar sounding names added confusion about locations, so a state assembly bill in 1873 officially changed the community's name.
The train still ran through the middle of town when the Opera House was built in 1905; the Carnegie Library was built in 1911; the fire department was established in 1911; the original hospital was built in 1915. The community of Lodi officially became an incorporated city in 1906 and purchased the Bay gas and waterworks in 1919. Through all of the growth, changes and building.... The railroad ran in through the middle of town.
Today, while not the enterprise of years gone by, the trains ..... they still run through the middle of town! The photo is one of the many historical murals painted on the walls of downtown buildings and structures.
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