1860s 1870s CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD C.R. Savage View!

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Old original C.R. Savage view of Summit Station. Summit Station was located at donner summit and consisted of trackage and turntable under snowsheds and a large rooming house/hotel all interconnected by snowsheds as the area is coved with thich deep snow a good portion of the year. It was replaced by the facilites at Norden in the early 1900s a few miles west. Excellent condition on this rare historic western view. Historical info: The Central Pacific Railroad was the California-to-Utah portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America. Many proposals to build a transcontinental railroad failed because of the disputes over slavery in Washington; with the secession of the South, the modernizers in the Republican party took over Congress and passed the necessary legislation and subsidies. It was planned by Theodore Judah, authorized by Congress in 1862 and financed and built through "The Big Four" (who also called themselves "The Associates"), who were Sacramento, California businessmen Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins. Crocker was in charge of construction; much of the labor were Chinese workers. The first rails were laid in 1863 and the golden spike, connecting it to the Union Pacific Railroad to Omaha, Nebraska, was hammered on May 10, 1869. Coast-to-coast travel in 8 days now replaced wagon trains or months-long sea voyages. The road was built with loans from major financial centers, backed by land grants and subsidies. The federal government gave away land-grants in a checkerboard pattern. The railroad sold every-other square. The government also loaned money--later repaid--at $16,000 per mile on level stretches, and $32,000 to $48,000 in mountainous terrain. Local and state governments also aided the financing. In 1885 the Central Pacific Railroad was leased by the Southern Pacific Railroad, though it technically remained a corporate entity until 1959 when it was formally merged into Southern Pacific. The original right of way is now part of the Union Pacific which purchased Southern Pacific in 1996. The first "transcontinental", the Union Pacific-Central Pacific (Southern Pacific) mainline made up the historic "Overland Route" from Omaha to San Francisco Bay. June 21, 1861: "Central Pacific Rail Road of California" incorporated; name changed to "Central Pacific Railroad of California" October 8, 1864, after the Pacific Railway Act amendment passes that summer. July 1, 1862: President Lincoln signs the Pacific Railway Act, which authorized the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific to build a railroad to the Pacific Ocean. January 8, 1863: Ground breaking ceremonies take place at Sacramento, California, at the foot of "K" Street at the waterfront of the Sacramento River.[1] October 26, 1863: First rail laid, at Sacramento. April 26, 1864: Central Pacific opened to Roseville, 18 miles, w it makes a junction with the California Central Rail Road, operating from Folsom north to Lincoln. June 3, 1864: The first revenue train on the Central Pacific operates between Sacramento and Newcastle, California October 8, 1864: Following passage of the amendment to the Pacific Railroad Act, the company's name is changed to "Central Pacific Railroad of California," a new corporation. May 13, 1865: Central Pacific opened 36 miles to Auburn, California. September 1, 1865: Central Pacific opened 54 miles to Colfax, California (formerly known as "Illinoistown.") December 3, 1866: Central Pacific opened 92 miles to Cisco, California. December 1, 1868: Central Pacific opened to Summit of the Sierra Nevada, 105 miles. April 28, 1869: Track crews on the Central Pacific lay 10 miles of track in one day. This is the longest stretch of track that has been built in one day to date. May 10, 1869: The Central Pacific and Union Pacific tracks meet in Promontory, Utah. May 15, 1869: The first transcontinental trains are run over the new line to Sacramento. November 8, 1869: Central Pacific subsidiaries Western Pacific Railroad and San Francisco Bay Railroad complete the ... read more

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