Near Lathrop in San Joaquin County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
First Transcontinental Railroad
Site of Completion of Pacific Railroad
Erected 1969 by State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation local civic and historical organizations (November 8, 1969). (Marker Number 780-7.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Landmarks • Notable Events • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the California Historical Landmarks, the The Spirit of ’76, America’s Bicentennial Celebration, and the Transcontinental Railroad series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1992.
Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 37° 47.221′ N, 121° 18.34′ W. Marker was near Lathrop, California, in San Joaquin County. Marker was on South Manthey Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located at the entrance to Mossdale Crossing Park and Launching Facilty. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Lathrop CA 95330, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies. The Comet – 1846 – First Sail Launch (here, next to this marker); America's First Coast-to-Coast Road (approx. 2.3 miles away); Lathrop Veteran’s Memorial (approx. 2.7 miles away); Lathrop (approx. 2.8 miles away); Banta Inn (approx. 4.3 miles away); California Chicory Works (approx. 5.3 miles away); Finley’s Bar and Grill (approx. 6 miles away); Lincoln Highway (approx. 6.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lathrop.
Regarding First Transcontinental Railroad. This site is a California Registered Historical Landmark (No. 780-7).
Additional commentary.
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
— Submitted September 16, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.
2. Date of the first train to cross the bridge
The first train crossed the bridge on September 6, 1869 - not on September 8, 1869, which was inscribed on the marker. This fact was reported in the Sacramento Daily Union, Volume 37, Number 5755, 7 September 1869 with the byline "From Stockton - September 6th" and the quote "The Western Pacific Railroad bridge across the San Joaquin River was finished to-day [September 6th], and three trains of cars crossed it, one for San Jose and two for Alameda." This was the first through train from Sacramento leaving at 10 am and arriving at Alameda at 10:30 pm, with one train switching off at Vallejo Mills (now Niles) to San Jose - as reported in Daily Alta California, Volume 21, Number 7110, 7 September 1869.
— Submitted December 17, 2019, by VK Wong of San Francisco, California.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 12, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. This page has been viewed 3,151 times since then and 77 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week September 21, 2008. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 12, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. 4. submitted on March 7, 2010, by Craig Vincent of Stockton, California. 5. submitted on April 6, 2010, by Craig Vincent of Stockton, California. 6. submitted on February 4, 2010. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.