AND PACIFIC COAST GUIDE.

143

 

ear, when a e
buen to be Feasible.
In 1862, Congress granted the charter for
the Pacific railroad, and the first ground was
broken for it by the Central, at Sacramento,

was discovered and

Cal., Feb. 22d, 1863, two years and eight |

months before ground was broken for the
Union, at Omaha, Neb. The followin
will show the number of miles comple’
by the Central during each year: In 1863,
’64 and °65, 20 miles each year; in 1866,
30 miles; in 1867, 46 miles; in
364 miles; in 1869, 190144 miles, making
6904¢ miles from Sacramento to Prom-
ey where the roads meet, May 10th,

The whole length of the Pacific rail-
road proper, from Omaha to Sacramento,
is 1,7764¢ miles, of which the Union built
1,085 miles and the Central 6901¢ miles.
By a subsequent arrangement, the Union
relinquished 53 miles to the Central, and
the latter purchased of the Western Pacific,
in 1869, from San Francisco to Sacramento,
the whole of theirroad 1371¢ miles in length
which gave the Central 882 miles of road
from Ogden to San Francisco, and made
the entire line from Omaha to San Fran-
cisco, 1,914 miles.

“All aboard,” is now the order, and our
train glides away to the northward through
the western suburbs of the city of Ogden,
crossing broad bottom-lands, much of
which is under cultivation. The Weber
River is on the left, and the long high
range of the Wasatch Mountains on the
right. Within a few miles the Ogden
River is crossed, and also many irrigating
canals. The track of the Utah Northern
is on the right, and will continue to be, for
the next 24 miles, near the foot of the
mountain; and as the towns and objects of
note were described on the trip over that
road they will be passed in this place.

Bonneville—is the first that we pass
on the Central. It is 9.9 miles from Ogden,
situated near Willard, in the midst of a
section of good farming land, which yields
large crops of wheat, barley, and corn.

righam—comes next, 7.14 miles
further. The town is to the eastward, near
the base of the mountains, heretofore de-
scribed under the head of the Utah N rth-
ern, Passing Brigham, the road inclines
to the left, west, and crosses Bear River on
a trestle bridge 1,200 feet long, the piles of
which were driven in water 18 feet deep;
and half a mile further, and 7.14 miles
from Brigham, we stop at

Corinne—This city is not as prosper-
ous in its mercantile and forwarding busi-
ness as it was several years ago, owing
principally to the fact that the Utah North-
ern has been extended north too far; and
then the taking up of the branch track
from the city has entirely cut off the
freighting business to Montana and the
northern settlements, that formerly went
from this place. However, the citizens are
by no means blue, but have built a canal

868, | from a point 11 miles to the northward

and now conduct the waters of the Malad
River down to the city, and not only use it
for irrigating thousands of acres of land,
but for city and manufacturing purposes,
chief of which is a flouring mill which
produces about four tons of flour a day.
Corinne has three churches, a good school,
several hotels, and a weekly newspaper,
the Record.

Many of the citizens have embarked in
the stockraising business, and are doing
well; the range to the northward is very
good. Around the town are many thou-
sand acres of land, which only require
irrigation and culture to render them pro-
ductive in the highest degree.

Again Westward! The farming lands
grodeealty give way to alkali beds—white,
barren, and glittering in the sun. Now
the road curves along the bank of the lake,
crossing the low flats on a bed raised
several feet above the salt deposits. The
channel along the road, caused by excava-
tion, is filled with a reddish, cold-looking
water. Taste it at the first opportunity,
and you will wish that the first opportu-
nity had never offered. ,

Ma —is 7.64 miles further west,
being aside-track where trains seldom stop,
but skirt along the base of the mountains
with the lake and broad alkali bottoms on
the left. The cars pass over several long
and high embankments, and reach the
high broken land again at

Ime Creek—which is 11.96 miles
from Quarry. During the construction of
the road, this was one of the hardest
“Camps ” along the whole line.

Leaving the station, we cross Blue Creek
on a trestle bridge 300 feet long and 30 feet
high. Thence by tortuous curves we wind
around the heads of several little valleys,
crossing them well against the hillside by
heavy fills. The track along here has
been changed, avoiding several long tres-
tle bridges, and running ona solid em-
bankment.