Imperial Valley press., 1936-03-29

San Antonio Texas This was known as the San
Antonio-San Diego Line, and was established in
November, 1857. Passengers made the trip in six
mule coaches-save for 100 miles in the Arizona
desert by horseback. In 1858 the Butterfeld Com
pany began operating between st. Louis and San
Francisco via Los Angeles, Yuma, Tucson and
Ell Paso. The distance 2759 miles and the time
occupied was 25 to 35 days. though special fier
put through in 16 days. The fare was $1OO.
This company later became the Southern Over
land Mail its stages leaving daily. The equipment
of this line included 100 Concord stages 1900
horses and mules $50 drivers and 600 other
ployees.
In the summer of 1860 the first stage service
was begun between independence and Salt Lake
a distance of 1900 miles. The trip required two
to three weeks Shortly thereafter line was estab
lished between Salt Lake City and Sacramento.
0UT the quickening tempo of the times was de-
y mandng faster and better means of communi
cation. Out of this condition, in 1860 sprang that
dramatic marvel of American enterprise-the Pony
Express. For 16 months the intrepid riders of this
organization maintained breakneck schedule be-
tween st. Joseph, Mo-, and San Francisco. The
fastest run made the time of Lincolns inaugu
raj address, a copy of which was delivered in San
Francisco from the Missouri River in days and
II hours. The average time, however was 10 days.
Yet the Pony Express short lived After 16
months of splendid performance, its usefulness
continental telegraph line.
May TO- 1862 is one of the most eventful dates
in Western history. On that day the Big Four
Huntington, Stanford, Hopkins and Crocker-com-
pleted construction of the Central Pacific the first
transcontnental railroad. 1t titanic task
and it stands today of the greatest eng-
neerng achievements of the nineteenth century.
Although the main purpose of its builders, which
to bring the trade of the Orient across the
continent by rail- was defeated by the completion
of the Suez Canal and consequently was never
realized The road, however, performed great
national service in that it tied the East and West
together in one great nation.
IN TIME the Central Pacifics ambitious builders
pushed the Southern Pacific to Yuma and thence
across the southern deserts to Texas and New
Orleans. In the same year 1883, Henry Willard
and associates completed the Northern Pacific
along the old Lewis and Clarke route from the
Missouri River to Tacoma In the years that fol-
lowed the Union Pacific, the Great Northern the
Santa Fe and the Western Pacific came through
the mountain barrier to the Coast. Last to come
the Milwaukee, which was opened to traffic
in 1909.
The railroads unquestonaby have played ma
jor role in the development of the West Without
them business could never have gotten far from
the seaports and waterways. Of recent years, how
ever, element has crept into the picture
the automobile stage. From humble beginnings
the highway bus has advanced until today it is a
major factor in transcontnental passenger traffic
It's brother the highway truck, has likewise be-
come an important element in the movement of
freight.
The most recent conquest has been of the air
Barely Is years have elapsed since the first trans
continental airway established, yet with one
coastWiSe air line, five transcontnental and three
foreign lines in operation in the West, it is evident
the last commercial frontier has vanished.
1t was truly epochal event when the China
Clipper winged its way across the Pacific a few
months ago. For it vanquished that age-old bar
rier, the Pacific, exactly did the first transcon-
tinental railroad the old frontier.
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