California’s First Electric Streetcars
In 1887, Samuel Bishop made history by electrifying the streetcar line between San Jose and Santa Clara, marking the first electric streetcar line in America. Just a few years later, in 1891, the system was upgraded with overhead trolley wires, making the San Jose and Santa Clara Electric Company the first on the West Coast to adopt that technology.
Within the city, electric trolleys connected neighborhoods and landmarks — running along Hedding Street, Julian Street, S. 10th, Monterey Road to Oak Hill Cemetery, and out to Willow Glen via Willow Street. Scenic routes stretched even farther, with popular weekend lines heading to Alum Rock Park and out to Santa Clara, giving residents access to natural retreats and quiet picnics among the mineral springs.
In 1904, another form of public transit emerged: the Peninsular Interurban Railway, a light rail–trolley hybrid that carried passengers from downtown San Jose out to the foothills. It offered a gentler, more scenic ride across the valley, connecting city life to open space.
But by the 1930s, the car culture was taking over. In 1933, West Valley service was cut. And by 1938, the last streetcar ran in San Jose. Whole blocks of homes and historic buildings were razed to make way for parking lots — a shift that marked the end of an era when rails once ruled the valley.
Today you can see replicas of working trolleys at History Park San Jose.