Jarrett & Palmer's Special Fast Trans-Continental Train Tickets, United States, 1876
date: label: date made
content: 1876
notes: label: Description
content: The Special Fast Trans-Continental, also known as the “Lightning Express,” was a publicity stunt organized by the well-known theater managers Jarrett & Palmer of Booth Theatre in June 1876. To transport the company from New York to San Francisco for a performance of Shakespeare’s Henry V in San Francisco, Henry C. Jarrett chartered a train with a goal of crossing the country in record time. Traveling at an average speed of forty miles per hour, the train’s progress garnered breathless news attention, even being dubbed “the greatest feat in history.” Passenger trains normally took around a week to traverse the United States. The Lightning Express’s safe arrival in San Francisco after a mere 84 hours helped to promote the feasibility of transcontinental train travel. The beautifully-designed tickets for the trip came in decorative silver cases.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Transportation, Railroad
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2019.0070.1
label: accession number
content: 2019.0070
label: catalog number
content: 2019.0070.1
objectType: label: Object Name
content: tickets
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (2019.0070.1a material)
label: Physical Description
content: silver (2019.0070.1b material)
label: Measurements
content: 2019.0070.1a: 14.5 cm x 8.5 cm x .5 cm; 5 23/32 in x 3 11/32 in x 3/16 in
label: Measurements
content: 2019.0070.1b: 13 cm x 8 cm x .5 cm; 5 1/8 in x 3 5/32 in x 3/16 in