Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-01-01

Thlrteenth-Ihat as a place of residence
Sacramento presents high moral, social and
educational advantages.
Is Sacramento the Center of the Railroad
System?
In its early history Sacramento was merely
the head of navigation for the class of steam
ers deemed safe for navigating the waters of
the inland bays. At this point freights were
reshipped on boats adapted to the upper
courses OF the Sacramento and Feather rivers.
The construction of the Sacramento Valley
Railroad, in 1852, afforded quick transporta-
ton to the foothills in the direction of the
mines of Ell Dorado and Placer counties.
The large agricultural district surrounding
the city also found this convenient base
of supplies. Thus early in its history
Sacramento became a distributing point
and manufacturing center for the mining
region embraced within the central portion
of the State. It's Importance as distribut.
ing point was limited to the area of profitable
transportation by wagon roads from the head
of navigation by bay-going steamers. Event
ually new era dawned upon the history of
California. The construction of the Central
Pacific Railroad eastward from Sacramento
was the first real step in laying the lines of
rail communication now steadily progressing
toward the completion of vast railway sys.
tenn. That system of railroads has, and will
continue, to control the channels of the
great inland commerce of the entire Pacific
coast, and from the first Sacramento has been,
and will continue to be, the focal center OF
that system. At Sacramento the great over
land railroad. which is the highway of COM
merce and travel between the populations
of the Atlantic and Pacific divisions of the
country, found a tide-water terminus. This
line extends eastward 5000 miles. Sacra-
mento at once became " through point" a
position she has ever since maintained, en-.
joying terminal rates for Eastern freight As
relating to all commerce carried by railroad
between California and the Atlantic States,
Sacramento is the great natural center of col
lection and distribution. At Sacramento this
commerce finds, for collection, converging
lines of railroad, as follows
FROM THE NORTH.
From Redding, by the California and Ore
gon Railroad, throughout all the fertile Sac.
ramento valley east of the Sacramento river,
distance of 170 miles.
At Marysville connection is made with the
line running to Oroville, a distance of 2S
miles
From Willows, on the west side of the
Sacramento river, through the great grain
fields of Colusa and Yolo, distance of Ss
miles.
At Woodland connection is also made with
the branch line to Knights Landing, a dis.
tance of II miles.
FROM THE EAST.
! From Ogden, in Utah Territory, through
the length Of the great mining region of Ne.
yada, distance of 744 miles.
At Ogden the Utah Central and Southern
open up railroad communication southwark
over lines ROW extended 141 miles, and by
the Montana Railroad, now completed dis
tance of 34S miles northward.
Connection is also made at Palisade with
the line running to Eureka, distance of 80
miles, and at Battle Mountain with the line
to Austin, distance of 90 miles.
At Reno, connecting the cities of Carson,
the capital of Nevada, and Virginia City,
the metropolis of that State, by the Virginia
and Truckee Railroad, distance of 80 miles,
The Nevada County Railroad, following a
line parallel with the trend of the mountains
from the cities of Nevada and Grass Valley,
the largest mining cities of the State, con-
meets at Colfax, distance of % miles.
From Shingle Springs, by the Placerville
and Sacramento Valley Railroad, penetrating
the heart of the gold mining region, AZ miles.
FROM THE SOUTH.
From Ell Paso, in New Mexico, and travers-
ing the entire Tulare and San Joaquin val
leys-the largest and most fertile body of
land embraced within the territory of Cali.
fornia-a distance of 1,21S miles.
This line connects at Lathrop with lines of
railroad from San Francisco on the west and
Soledad on the South, distance of 161 miles.
Also at Goshen, with the line from Huron, a
distance of 40 miles.
From Oakdale and Milton, to Stockton, by
the Stockton and Copperopolis Railroad. 40
miles, and from lone Valley to Gait, by the
Amador branch, q miles.
FROM THE WEST.
From Calistoga to Suisun, through the en-
tire Napa Valley, 62 miles.
From Oakland to Fairfield, distance of
As miles.
From Vallejo and Benicia, traversing the
productive Solano plains, distance of 60
miles.
At Elmira connection is made with the
Vsca Valley railroad from Madison, in Yolo
county, distance of II miles.
BY these lines the products of a vast and
productive territory converge in their move
ment at Sacramento, and by the same lines
the supplies for the populations of these re-
gions reach Sacramento to find point of dis
tribution by lines of transportation diverging
like rays from a center of light. In addition
to these, the navigation of the inland waters
of the State still continue to confer upon Sac
ramento the advantages which her central
locality with reference to this river commerce
guaranteed to her from the first settlement of
the State.
For a better presentation of the lines of
transportation available to the commerce of
which Sacramento is the natural center and
base, they are briefly recapitulated:
Sacramento to Redding, miles. s............ 10
Sacramento TO Willows. IS
Marysville to oroVile. le...-............ 2S
woodland to knights Landing ..-...-... II
- sos
Sacramento TO Ogden, miles. s.............. 744
Ogden to J1ab lsouth) h).................... III
Ogden TO Dillon (northl. 34S
Palis3de TO Eureka a.-.........-.....-..- W
Battle Mountain to Austin. .............. So
Reno to Virginia City,. ................ %
Coifax to Nevada City p
Sacramento to Shingle Springs. gs........... ~
80 -15s7