1881 True Southern Pacific Railway
By: G.W. & C.B. Colton
Date: 1881 (circa).
Dimensions: 24.5 x 9 inches (62.25 x 22.85 cm).
This is a very rare railroad map of the southern half of the United States made sometime between 1881 and 1883. This map of the True Southern Pacific Railway focuses on the short link between El Paso and San Antonio that were necessary for its completion. As stated under the title, "When this short link is completed,[it] will give every Gulf city and every Atlantic city direct rail communication with the whole Pacific coast.
In 1868, a group known as the big four (Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Collins Huntington) purchased the Southern Pacific, which merged with the Central Pacific in 1870. The railroad had extended to El Paso by 1871 and was eventually linked so the tracks from Los Angeles would meet the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway in 1883. This map illustrates all lines from mid-western and eastern cities with direct routes to the southern line, highlighted in purple. The GH&SA line is highlighted in orange and the San Francisco to El Paso line in Blue. All line that are dashed represent railroad tracks that have yet to be completed.
Condition: Map is in B+ condition with a few fold separations along the top that have been restored on verso.
# 18331
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