Constructed in the early 1890s by the San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley Railroad, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad acquired the line by the end of the decade, operating it until its merger with Burlington Northern in 1996, from which the combined BNSF Railway has operated ever since. The towns along the Santa Fe line are all unique, none more than the rest. Today, the spotlights rest upon three.
The town of Denair was established in 1904 and was at the time named Elmwood Colony. Three years later, Elmwood Colony was renamed after John Denair, a division superintendent for the railroad. Denair’s first high school was established in 1912, and in the century since then, the town has grown into a census-designated place of over 5,000.
Winton’s beginnings lie with H.A. Logue, a developer living in Atwater that wanted to start a town at the crossroads of Santa Fe Avenue and Shaffer Road. Logue founded the Yam Hotel and attempted to buy a large acreage to the west of Shaffer. However, he was beaten to the purchase by the Co-Operative Land and Trust Company who laid down the foundations for Winton. In 1912, the town was surveyed for the first time, named after surveyor G.E. Winton. Today, Winton has over 10,000 residents.
Escalon’s name comes from the Spanish word for “stepping stone,” escalón. Its founder, James W. Jones allegedly picked the word out of a dictionary, liking the sound of it. The first Santa Fe trains passed through the town in 1896; two years later, a depot for passenger rail was founded. The town’s historic connection to Santa Fe is apparent when visiting the track side park; an ATSF caboose and signpost stand out as artifacts among the tall oak trees.
