THE NILES CANYON MONSTER

By Bob Walsh

Niles Canyon is an absolutely lovely part of Alameda County, California. At one end is an excursion railroad line that still runs a nice old steam train. At the other is the artist’s colony of Niles. In the early 20th century that is where most of the movies were made, before the business moved to Hollywood to take advantage of the better weather and more available real estate.

There is an absolutely beautiful creek running down the canyon. I have taken more than a few photographs along there, which isn’t easy. The road is two lanes with little or no shoulder and virtually no legal or safe parking.

It is also home to a fairly well-documented ghost, and now the Niles Canyon Monster as well.

OK, it isn’t really a monster. It is a 5 foot alligator. A man and his two teenage daughters spotted the critter sunning itself on a rock in the creek. He reported it, the authorities responded and they decided that yes, that is an alligator. It is, in all likelihood, an escaped or discarded illegal pet.

I am guessing that either county animal control of state fish and game will eventually grab it and take it away. It is a non-native species after all and even though a 5 foot alligator is not much of a hazard to an adult it could certainly harm or kill a small child. It is, however, probably helping to keep down the feral cat, possum and raccoon population in the mean while.