Southern Pacific Railroad

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The Southern Pacific Railroad was the third railroad to offer "transcontinental" service in North America starting in 1883. It connected New Orleans, Louisiana, to California and Oregon. Settlers were attracted to nearby communities because the railroads provided access to markets. Railroads encourages settlement along their routes to help increase the need for their service. If an ancestor settled near a railroad, you may be able to trace their place of origin back to another place along the tracks.

Historical Background
The United States bought the Gadsden Purchase (Arizona and New Mexico south of the Gila River) from Mexico to have a snow-free route between California and the rest of the United States. The Butterfield Stage, and later the Southern Pacific Railroad both made use of it.

The Southern Pacific was formed in 1865 to link San Francisco and San Diego, California. By 1877 they were building track east into Yuma, Arizona and headed for New Mexico and Texas. In 1882 the Atcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad connected with Southern Pacific Lines at Deming, New Mexco. The next year the Southern Pacific completed the Pecos River Viaduct (or High Bridge) in Texas linking New Orleans to Los Angeles.

Route
From east to west some of the most signficant towns on the route are:


 * New Orleans
 * Houston
 * San Antonio
 * El Paso
 * Tucson
 * Yuma
 * Los Angeles

Routes in Oregon and the old Central Pacific tracks to Ogden, Utah also were controlled at various times by the Southern Pacific Company.

Settlers and Records
Settlers who made their way west on the Southern Pacific were likely to be from the southern states, especially Louisiana.

There are no known passenger lists for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Internet Links
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