"Johnson's California"

During President Lincoln’s lifetime, Americans who wished to visit California had to endure months of difficult and sometimes dangerous travel, either across the continent by horseback or wagon, or by ship across the sea. Even within the state, rough landscapes between widely scattered communities hindered communication and commerce. Starting in the late 1850s, this desperate need for better transportation was answered by development of the railroads.

California’s first railroad began operating in 1856, but widespread rail transport did not appear until the 1860s. Most significantly, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862, authorizing the construction of the transcontinental railroad. This map illustrates the vast distances that confronted any attempts to improve transportation and communication across the nation. Visible are the routes of the famous Pony Express, the transcontinental railroad through Nevada and a proposed alternate railroad route though southern Arizona. Identification Information: Ephemera Collection, California State Archives.