Santa Cruz Trains Sourcebook: The Dream of Steam, 1854-1873 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781953609076)

Like a steam whistle interrupting a cool spring morning, the debate over railroads in Santa Cruz County, California, erupted suddenly in the 1860s. For years, Santa Cruz, the Pajaro Valley, and the San Lorenzo Valley had struggled to profitably export crops, lumber, and other goods across the treacherous Santa Cruz Mountains to the Bay Area and beyond. The obvious solution was a railroad, but nobody agreed how to pay for it. Railroads became a political issue, dominating newspaper columns week after week. Over 500 of these articles, letters, editorials, and more are collected in this sourcebook, showcasing the long struggle to build a railroad in Santa Cruz County in the two decades before the formation of the Santa Cruz Railroad in May 1873.

Author: Derek R. Whaley
ISBN-10: 1953609074
ISBN-13: 9781953609076
Publisher: Zayante Publishing
Language: English
Published: 04/11/2025
Pages: 790
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.69lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.00w x 1.57d