"Modern Arcata Freeway uncovers some Interesting Facts Concerning Port of Humboldt's Early railroad History". In 1899 John Vance started to construction a railroad line thru the middle of Arcata, branching off from his main line just north of town near the present location of the Arcata Redwood company. This track extended then thru a cut which ran from 16th street to 13th street and on down what is now E street and to the College Blvd. The baseball field was, at that time, a large swamp & the railroad ran across it on a low trestle. From the trestle the railroad ran down the rest of E street & thence across the marshland to tie into the Bayside Railroad and wharf with an interchange track know as Bayside Junction. The line was continued along the east side of the bay & piling was driven for a trestle to run from Jacoby Creek Brainard. However, other interests fastening the California Northern RailRoad got involved in the race to hook up Arcata & Eureka with a Railroad so the rail connection with Eureka never materialized. All that's left of the original Eureka & Klamath River railroad is Normal Junction. There is a photo of it. It was named for the commuter trains that once served the Humboldt State Normal School. Now it's a loading spur for the Arcata Redwood mill. This old trackage ran down to the foot of 101 intersection with Plaza Ave & was used as a commuter for college students. This spur also was used by the state highway dept. Rock shipments from the Trinidad Quarry went into the 3 lane pavement north of Arcata when the highway was rerouted north to Bella Vista Hill about 20 yrs ago. The Vance railroad grade made it possible to act as a drainage ditch that dained north Arcata which was a large swamp. Many old times thought the cut extending from 16th street south to the College Blvd. was always a drainage ditch. About 1936 a sawmill was started on the old Norman Junction spur, which became the Arcata Redwood Company.