Chapters on the History of the Southern Pacific

"Chapters on the History of the Southern Pacific" by Stuart Daggett is a historical exploration of the Southern Pacific Railroad, covering its creation, business struggles, and influence on California's transport system in the early 1900s. The book begins by establishing the railroad's importance in American economic history, describing the essential work of chief engineer Theodore Dehone Judah, who surveyed risky routes through the Sierra Nevada, and the difficulties Judah encountered while gathering financial support to build the railroad routes, highlighting the economic ambitions and building obstacles overcome by businessmen such as Leland Stanford and Collis P. Huntington in making it happen. Daggett guides us through the political, financial, and logistical complexities while telling the history of the railroad.