It was in September 1878 that the central Pacific Railroad (later, Southern Pacific) moved its operations from the company town of Ellis, some three miles east to the new town of Tracy. The town was established on the junction of two railroad lines…the Altamont Line built in 1896 and the new line extending down the west side of the San Joaquin Valley from Martinez.

As a railroad town in the late 19th century, Tracy…named for Ohio railroad man and grain merchant Lathrop J. Tracy…was an active place. Train crews and passengers were moving in and out of the local depot and a string of small hotels, restaurants and taverns had sprung up on Front Street. It was a lively place.

But from the beginning, there was more to Tracy than the Southern Pacific yard and Front Street. Homes had been built on adjacent streets, and stores had been opened to serve the needs of residents of the new town. Several churches also were opened and Willow School educated Tracy’s youngsters.

In 1910, the Tracy Board of Trade (later the Tracy Chamber of Commerce) spearheaded a campaign to incorporate Tracy into a city. That effort was successful, and it was followed by the installation of water and sewer systems, the paving of streets, and the building of Tracy’s first City Hall…now the Central Fire Station at the corner of Central Avenue and Ninth Street.

From those beginnings, Tracy has continued to grow and develop with the addition of new industries, the development of highly productive irrigated farming, and the building of homes, schools, a hospital, businesses, and churches. Lodges, service clubs, and other community organizations have been formed to serve the town and its residents.