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Town story · Solano County · 18,988 people (2020 Census)

Dixon, California The Town That Moved to the Railroad

Dixon started a few miles away as a stagecoach stop called Silveyville. When the railroad came through in 1868, the town moved to the tracks — and came away with a shorter spelling of its founder's name.

  • A brick arch over a downtown street with CITY OF DIXON lettered across the top.
    Dixon, downtown for everyone to see. Photo: Kiddo27, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. License Source
  • A street sign reading Downtown Historic Dixon, with arrows to Central Dixon and the fairgrounds.
    Dixon, one sign three times. Photo: Kiddo27, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. License Source
  • A green highway sign for State Route 113 pointing to Dixon.
    Dixon, this way. Photo: Kiddo27, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. License Source
  • A marquee arch reading Dixon May Fair, at the fairgrounds.
    Dixon, at the fairgrounds. Photo: Kiddo27, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. License Source

Seen a Dixon sign in Solano County? Send us the photo.

A brick arch over a downtown street with CITY OF DIXON lettered across the top.
Dixon, spelled out over downtown for everyone to see. Photo: Kiddo27, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. License Source

The Story

Dixon began as Silveyville. In 1852 Elijah Silvey opened a way station — an inn and saloon with a corral — on the well-traveled stagecoach route between San Francisco and Sacramento, a road frequented by miners during the Gold Rush. A small community grew around the stop, with a store, a school, churches, and about 100 residents by 1860.1, 2

When the railroad was laid a few miles from Silveyville, residents chose to move the town to the tracks, where travel was faster than by stagecoach and grain could reach market faster and less expensively than by boat. Thomas Dickson, who owned land on the eastern outskirts of Silveyville, donated 10 acres of his land in 1868.1, 3, 4

What is now downtown Dixon was established in 1868 as Dicksonville. How “Dickson” became “Dixon” is told more than one way: in one account, a station sign ordered as “Dickson” was found spelled “Dixon,” and timetables and a rail shipment of merchandise followed the shorter spelling. Thomas Dickson agreed to let the name stand.3, 2

Dixon was officially incorporated in 1878. From its inception, the principal livelihood of Dixon was farming, and by the early 1900s Dixon was known as “The Dairy City.”3, 1

Dixon's Carnegie Library, on East B Street between North First and North Second Streets, was built from 1911 to 1912 with a $10,000 Carnegie grant and dedicated in February 1913. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 4, 2011.5, 6

Each May, Dixon hosts the Dixon May Fair, described by the city and by the fair itself as the oldest district fair and fairgrounds in California. The fair celebrates the agricultural heritage of Dixon and the surrounding communities it serves.1, 7

Around Town

  1. Downtown Dixon

    Downtown Dixon

    The city's General Plan describes Downtown Dixon as a 19th-century railroad town with numerous historic resources. A brick arch over the downtown street is lettered CITY OF DIXON.1, 8

  2. Replica train station

    West side of the tracks at Jefferson and B Streets

    Dixon's second train station, built in 1884 after the Great Fire of 1883 destroyed the first, was demolished in 1968. A third station, built in 2007 as a replica of the second, still stands.3

  3. Dixon Carnegie Library

    East B Street, between North First and North Second Streets

    Built 1911–1912 with a $10,000 Carnegie grant after the Dixon Women's Improvement Club asked Andrew Carnegie for help, and dedicated in February 1913. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 4, 2011.5, 6

  4. Dixon Historical Society & Museum

    125 West A Street

    The Historical Society's museum. The city's history page directs readers here to learn more about Dixon history.3, 9

  5. Dixon May Fairgrounds

    655 South First Street

    Home of the Dixon May Fair, the oldest district fair and fairgrounds in California, run by the 36th District Agricultural Association.7, 10

  6. Dixon Library

    230 North First Street

    Today's public library, a branch of the Solano County Library. This is the working library; the 1913 Carnegie building on East B Street is the historic one.11

A marquee arch reading Dixon May Fair, at the fairgrounds.
Dixon, at the fairgrounds. Photo: Kiddo27, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. License Source

If You Go

  • The Dixon Historical Society & Museum, 125 West A Street, lists its hours as Thursday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check before you go.9
  • The City and the Dixon Historical Society keep a historical display at Pardi Plaza.3
  • The Dixon May Fair's website lists its next fair for May 6 to 9, 2027, at 655 South First Street. Check current dates, tickets, and office hours before you go.10
  • The Dixon Library at 230 North First Street is part of the Solano County Library. Check current hours on the library's website before you go.11

Sources

  1. City of Dixon, California. Dixon General Plan 2040, Chapter 1: Introduction. cityofdixonca.gov
  2. Historical Articles of Solano County (Kristin Delaplane, February 20, 1995). Silveyville rolls into Dixon when railroad arrives. solanoarticles.com
  3. City of Dixon, California (history provided by the Dixon Historical Society). Dixon History. cityofdixonca.gov
  4. Dixon Historical Society & Museum. From Dickson to Dixon. dixonhistoricalsociety.org
  5. Dixon Historical Society & Museum. Carnegie Library in Dixon, CA. dixonhistoricalsociety.org
  6. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, NRIS 10001199. Dixon Carnegie Library. npgallery.nps.gov
  7. Dixon May Fair (36th District Agricultural Association). About the Dixon May Fair. dixonmayfair.com
  8. Wikimedia Commons. File: Dixon Arch in downtown.jpg. commons.wikimedia.org
  9. Dixon Historical Society & Museum. Contact. dixonhistoricalsociety.org
  10. Dixon May Fair (36th District Agricultural Association). Home. dixonmayfair.com
  11. Solano County Library. Dixon Library. solanolibrary.gov
  12. U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System, feature 1655973. GNIS record
  13. U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census, Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171), table P1, place 06-19402.

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