Railroad Crossing: Californians and the Railroad 1850-1910

By William Deverall

‘Railroad Crossing’ is a history of the effects of the railroad, specifically the Southern Pacific Railroad, on the economic and political development of California.  Concurrent with these developments is the rise of the Progressive movement in California and the rest of the country.

Californians eagerly awaited the completion of the transcontinental railroad as the riches of the Gold Rush some twenty years earlier were on the decline.  California was being transformed from a land of lightly-populated ranchos to a more agricultural based economy.  The railroad would provide access to markets for California products and a source of non-foreign labor.

The awaited benefits did not come.  Shortly after the railroad was completed in 1869, California felt the effects of an economic depression, the Panic of 1873.  The impact of this Panic would eventually depress the price of silver, creating a cascade of bank failures leading ultimately to the demise of the Workman and Temple Bank in Los Angeles.

Opposition to the railroad was spearheaded by a populist movement that culminated in the election to Governor in 1910 of Progressive candidate, Hiram Johnson.  The targets of the opposition were Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford and Mark Hopkins, known as ‘The Big Four’, who dominated the economic and political landscape of California.  They were ruthless in their ambitions and underhanded in their methods.  Their legacies include a university, banks, libraries and mansions as well as a lingering distaste for greedy corporations.