ACE BRINGS HISTORIC RAIL CORRIDOR INTO NEW MILLENNIUM

By AMY H. ROBERTS

The Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) Construction project for railroad-track grade separations and improvements in San Gabriel is designed to enhance current life, safety and travel in the community and throughout the region. However, the excavations that were part of the preparatory work for the trench have unearthed archeological opportunities, giving San Gabriel residents and school children an important glimpse into the region’s rich history.

At a site near the San Gabriel Mission being dug in preparation for the construction rail track trench, archaeologists uncovered a trove of historical artifacts. The finds have provided an intriguing connection to the region’s rich history, giving opportunities to learn more about local Spanish,Native American, and early American history.

Many of the relics uncovered were from California’s Mission period, such as historic building foundations, an 1816 coin, a copper-alloy religious medallion, Native American shell artifacts, pottery sherds, and European glass beads. These are just some of the many thousands of artifacts found during the excavation.

“The archeological finds are an exciting link to the region’s past and shed insight on the important history of the San Gabriel Mission, the City of San Gabriel and the Gabrieleno-Tongva Tribe,” David Gutier rez, former ACE board chairman and former mayor of San Gabriel, said during excavation last year.

The dig brought the past to life for students and residents alike, as many school groups were able to tour the site, observing archaeologists uncovering pieces of history.

“The dig experience was great for our fourth-grade students in San Gabriel, because this history ties into what they are studying,” said Senya Lubisich, history instructor at Citrus College.

Archaeologists involved in the project have also touted the excavation for providing glimpses into the earliest roots of the Los Angeles area.

“It’s not very often an archeological dig opens up in your backyard,” Lubisich said.

Although the public dig was completed in 2012, work continues to excavate remnants of Chapman’s Mill, which includes a millrace and gristmill, from the site and relocate it. The mill was part of an early waterdriven agricultural system in San Gabriel.

Joseph Chapman, the first American to live in the region, produced its innovative design.

As part of the San Gabriel Trench Project, the ACE Construction Authority is restoring part of the millrace and relocating it to Park Plaza. The site was chosen because it puts the restored display in the approximate location of where the original millrace ran.

ACE

The display will also add to the Mission District’s history, dovetailing well with the historical tour that local fourth-grade students take each year.

Work continues on the ACE project to depress a 1.4-mile section of track, build overpass bridges and install other railroad safety upgrades, such as gates and lights within San Gabriel. With train traffic in the San Gabriel Valley projected to increase by up to 160 percent by 2020, the San Gabriel Trench Project should help eliminate traffic delays and collisions, as well as reduce emissions at railroad crossings.

Work on the trench is also part of a larger project that will benefit the entire San Gabriel Valley region. Overall, the entire project will complete safety construction improvements at 39 crossings and 22 roadway railroad-grade crossing separations. It has been estimated that the ACE construction project will generate approximately 30,000 jobs in the area and support commerce throughout the region and beyond.

Los Angeles and Long Beach are some of the busiest container ports in the world, with more than half of that cargo passing through the San Gabriel Valley.

“This vital project is an important link in our regional strategy of moving cargo containers by train rather than in diesel trucks on our freeways,” Michael D. Antonovich, a Los Angeles County supervisor, ACE board member and chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said in a 2012 press release from the ACE Construction Authority.