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By Syd Whittle, May 11, 2006 | |
| | | 1. First Transcontinental Railroad Marker | | |
Inscription. The construction of the San Joaquin River Bridge completed the last link of the Transcontinental Railroad. Building had simultaneously proceeded from the Bay Area and Sacramento and met at the San Joaquin River. The first train crossed the bridge on September 8, 1869.
Erected 1969 by State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation local civic and historical organizations (November 8, 1969). (Marker Number 780-7.)
Location. 37° 47.221′ N, 121° 18.34′ W. Marker is near Lathrop, California, in San Joaquin County. Marker is on South Manthey Road, on the right when traveling west. Click for map. Marker is located at the entrance to Mossdale Crossing Park and Launching Facilty. Marker is in this post office area: Lathrop CA 95330, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. The Comet – 1846 – First Sail Launch (here, next to this marker); Lathrop (approx. 2.8 miles away); Liberty Plot (approx. 6.9 miles away); French Camp (approx. 7.1 miles away); Ripon World War II Memorial (approx. 10.4 miles away); New Hope – 1846 (approx. 10.4 miles away); Stockton Assembly Center (approx. 10.7 miles away); Moses Rogers Home (approx. 10.9 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Lathrop. | | | | 
By Syd Whittle, May 11, 2006 | |
| | | 2. First Transcontinental Railroad Marker | | This marker shares base with The Comet-1846-First Sail Launch marker | | |
Regarding Site of Completion of Pacific Railroad. This site is a California Registered Historical Landmark (No. 780-7).
Also see . . . Learn California Central Pacific Railroad. (Submitted on September 12, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California.)
Additional comments.
1. The First Transcontinental Railroad Journey
The American rail network was not yet connected to the Atlantic or the Pacific. What was heralded as the Transcontinental Railroad merely connected Omaha and Sacramento. In November 1869 the Sacramento line was extended to San Francisco Bay at Oakland.
At first, trains had to be ferried across the Missouri River to complete a transcontinental journey. The Hannibal Bridge in Kansas City was the first bridge to cross the Missouri, it was completed in July, 1869. In August 1870 the Kansas Pacific connected to the Denver Pacific line at Strasburg, Colorado and the first true Atlantic to Pacific railroad was completed. Council Bluffs was directly connected to the East Coast rail network upon completion of the Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge in 1872.
On June 4, 1876 an express train named the Transcontinental Express arrived in San Francisco via the Transcontinental Railroad only 83 hours and 39 minutes after it left from New York City.
Source: Transcontinental Railroad - tcrr.com | | | | 
By Syd Whittle, May 11, 2006 | |
| | | 3. San Joaquin River Railroad Bridge | | |
— Submitted September 16, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California.
Credits. This page originally submitted on September 12, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. This page has been viewed 592 times since then. This page was the Marker of the Week September 21, 2008. Photos: 1, 2, 3. Submitted on September 12, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page. |
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