Niles Canyon

William Seltzer Rice

Niles Canyon is located in the San Francisco, California Bay Area, formed by Alameda Creek. The canyon is largely in an unincorporated area of Alameda County, while the western portion of the canyon lies within the city limits of Fremont and Union City. The stretch of State Route 84 known as Niles Canyon Road traverses the length of the canyon from the Fremont district of Niles to the unincorporated town of Sunol.

Niles Canyon was the California home to the Chicago-based Essanay Film Company between 1912 and 1916 and was where several movies were filmed, including the 'Bronco Billy' westerns and Charlie Chaplin's 'The Tramp.' Chaplin made 14 films for Essanay, many filmed in Niles.