Eccles, California is a ghost town

Ghost town

A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...

 in Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...

, near Felton

Felton, California

-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Felton had a population of 4,057. The population density was 891.2 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Felton was 3,691 White, 25 African American, 29 Native American, 69 Asian, 11 Pacific Islander, 60 from other races, and 172 from...

, east of Ben Lomond

Ben Lomond, California

Ben Lomond is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, and also the name of the mountain to the west. The population was 6,234 at the 2010 census.-History:...

. It was near where Lompico Creek flows into Zayante Creek.

Located between Zayante

Zayante, California

Zayante is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California. It is a residential area located on Zayante Creek. Zayante sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Zayante's population was 705.-History:...

 and Felton

Felton, California

-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Felton had a population of 4,057. The population density was 891.2 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Felton was 3,691 White, 25 African American, 29 Native American, 69 Asian, 11 Pacific Islander, 60 from other races, and 172 from...

, Eccles was a stop on the narrow gauge South Pacific Coast Railroad

South Pacific Coast Railroad

The South Pacific Coast Railroad was a narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founded by local strawberry growers as a way to get their crops...

 that ran from Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...

 to Oakland

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

 from 1880 to 1940. The railroad carried lumber and local produce. It was acquired by the Southern Pacific in the early 1900s, which added weekend excursion trains until the April 18, 1906, earthquake damaged or destroyed tracks, tunnels, and bridges. The Southern Pacific repaired the line, converted it to standard gauge and operated it until March 1940, when it suspended operations. State Route 17, which was completed in 1940, bypassed Eccles, contributing to its decline.

The area today is mostly rural and heavily wooded. Some of the old railroad has been preserved, from Olympia (just south of the site of Eccles) to Santa Cruz , and operates as an excursion train, the Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway

Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway

The Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway is a freight and heritage railroad in Northern California.It uses diesel locomotives to haul excursion trains over an route between Olympia, California and an interchange with the Union Pacific Railroad at the Santa Cruz Wye, though the line is now...

.