Checking with Google Earth, the Railway Express building and what appears to be a freight house, or a large warehouse, are still railroad west, but geographic southeast, of the NWP Petaluma Depot, along the main track, which parallels Lakeville Street. The NWP station plat faces Lakeville Street, between East Washington St. and East "D" Street. If you input "E. Washington St. and Lakeville St., Petaluma, CA 94952" into the Google Earth search, (upper left on the web page), it will "fly" you to the satellite view of the proper part of Petaluma. It is up to you to zoom in on it using your mouse. The NWP Petaluma Depot is the building with the red roof, closest to E. Washington and Lakeville St. intersection. Petaluma's Mission style stucco depot was built in 1914. The REA building, built in 1925, is the smaller building, with the red roof, next to the depot, on the right, (southwest).

I recall reading in the NWPRRHS "Headlight" that the City of Petaluma now owns the depot, which was purchased to become part of a planned intermodal transit center for buses, and eventually Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit, (SMART). The May-June 2007 issue of the NWPRRHS "Headlight" has a photo of the Petaluma Depot on page 3. The caption stated that the depot had been beautifully restored and houses the Petaluma Visitors Center.

The name Petaluma was applied to a 66,622 acre Mexican land grant, of 1834, in what became Sonoma County. Rancho Petaluma, which was given to General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Commandant of the Sonoma Pueblo, by Governor Jose Figueroa. The land patent was issued/recognized by the United States in 1874. The name Petaluma has Coast Miwok Indian roots "peta" translates to "flat," and "luma" to "back". "Luma" can also be translated to the Miwok word for "yome" or "lume," which means "place." "El Llano de los Petalumas" or "plain of the Petaluma Indians" appeared on early maps. Garrett W. Keller platted the townsite of Petaluma in 1851, sold lots, and became the first postmaster in 1852.

Glen Icanberry
Redlands, CA