Graham guardian., 1910-04-29
WILL CELEBRATE
Opening of Tucson & West
Coast of Mexico Railroad.
May 5th
TUCSON WILL Be TERMINAL
Great Trunk Line Now Building
Down the West Coast
of Mexico

The Tucson & West Coast OF
Mexico Railroad, which will be
formally opened for traffic on May
5th, gives Tucson direct connection
with the west coast of Mexico.
When the Southern Pacific Company
of Mexico was organized and the
building of the line from Guaymas
to Guadalajara was begun, the peo-
pie of Tucson were quick to realize
the advantageous position of their
city and the necessity of making it
the American terminal of this great
system. The existing line from
Tucson to Nogales was a circuitous
route by way of Benson. A line has
already been built from Tucson up
the Santa Cruz valley as far as Twin
Buttes, and there remained gap of
about thirty miles of road to be
constructed to give Tucson direct
line to Nogales. The Tucson Cham
ber of Commerce at once took the
matter up with the Southern Pacific
Company and were advised by that
corporation that the proposed line
would ultimately be built, but that
it would not pay to construct it for
three or four years, when it is ex-
pected that the line to Guadalajara
will be in operation.
The Chamber of Commerce i'm
mediately proposed to pay the in
terest on the cost of construction
of the line for five years at $4,000
per year. The Southern Pacific
Company agreed to build the line
under these conditions and the peo-
pie of Tucson voted $150,000 in
bonds last August. This bond issue
has not been approved by Congress
as yet, but the company, in order
to secure tax exemptions granted
by the Arizona legislature at its last
session, went ahead with the con-
struction of the new line.
Since last summer industrial con-
ditions in southern Arizona have
improved to such an extent that it
seems probable that the new rail-
road will pay from the start.
The people of Tucson, who had
already through their enterprise
secured the new road, were quick
to prepare for an appropriate cele-
bration on the occasion of its formal
opening. The Chamber of Com
merce took the matter up, Hon. j.
M. Ormsby was named as chairman
of the committee on arrangements,
subcommittee were appointed and
in short time $4,000 had been
raised to spend in entertaining the
city's guests and in preparations for
the celebration.
The new railroad, which has now
been completed and will be formally
opened on May 9th, really makes
Tucson the terminal of the great
trunk line building down the west
coast of Mexico. This line reaches
the border at Nogales and connects
with the Southern Pacific Company
at Tucson, rs miles north in a di-
rect line from the international
boundary. In few years Tucson
confidently expects that through
passenger trains will be run from
San Francisco to the City of Mexico
by way of the Southern Pacific
Company to Tucson, and by way of
the Southern Pacific Company from
Tucson to the City of Mexico.
Recently when eastern interests
announced that railroad would be
built from Port Lobos on the Gulf
of California to Sasco, where the
smelter of the Imperial Copper
Company is located, the people of
Tucson at once took steps to make
their city the terminal of this new
tidewater line, and there is every
indication that the new road will be
extended from Sasco to Tucson, a
distance of about 80 miles.
The people of Tucson, learning
that DR.. James Douglas was con-
sidering the advisability of extend
ing the Ell Paso & Southwestern
railroad to Tucson, have offered
him terminal facilities and other
inducements, and Tucson has great
hope of becoming the terminal of
this line.
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