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Cannery Number 5, July 2018
A couple of old landmarks: A Photographic Log
3 July 2018, 25 miles
The Challenge of the Month for July over at Cycle365 involves photos of stuff old and/or broken and/or rusted and/or collapsing. Selfies don't count.I rode my familiar route out the Greenway with a slight detour downtown in order to score a few qualifying pictures. Good luck today. For the first time ever, the gate at the old cannery was open and I managed to slip onto the grounds, which is usually a big no-no. I clicked the shutter a couple of times and skedaddled before the workers shooed me away.
Other than that, not much happening on the Greenway today.
PS: This evening the Santa Rosa Police Department announced an arrest in the case of the recent incidents of arson along the Greenway.
First stop is on the Brush Creek Trail.
The plaque, dated 1936, "To perpetuate the legend that on the feast of St Rose, August 30 1829, Padre Amoros beside this stream [the confluence of Brush Creek and Santa Rosa Creek] baptized an Indian maid, from which the city took the name Santa Rosa."
True? Not true? Politically correct? Or not?
In any event, this would be one of the oldest incidents in the history of Santa Rosa, which was founded in 1833.
It was a stroke of luck to find the gate open today, because usually the only way to get to the remains of the old cannery is to climb the fence or cut through it, both of which seem to be done with some regularity by nocturnal denizens of the Greenway.
The cannery was originally built in 1894 for packing peaches, blackberries, and pears grown in rural Sonoma County. It was purchased by the California Packing Corporation (of which Del Monte was the best-known brand) in 1921 and became Plant Number 5. Eventually it fell into disrepair, and now one smaller building remains intact—the 6th Street Playhouse—while of the main plant only parts of the external walls remain, and they're propped up but still in danger of collapsing.
The old water tank at the cannery has been lowered to the ground. Its iron tower is on the other side of the tank, tipped on its side.
Although the exterior walls and tank have been preserved, they're in sad shape and continue to deteriorate. Apparently the only plan involves allowing the ruins to crumble, although the grassy field beside the long brick wall is used for outdoor Shakespeare productions in the summer.
For more information on the cannery, see Gaye LeBaron's column in the Press-Democrat in 2013.
Summary
Date: 3 July 2018
Time: 12:30 - 2:30
Weather: 70-75° F, sunny but hazy from fires in neighboring counties
Route: Greenway with detour downtown
Distance: 25 miles
Bike: Surly Ogre
Riders: Solo
Comments? Questions? Suggestions? I'd like to hear from you.
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