n of the country during the
next few years was even more notable. By 1880 four different lines of
railroad were running through to the Pacific States, and a fifth, the
Denver and Rio Grande, had penetrated through the mountains of Colorado
and across Utah to the Great Salt Lake. These were the years when
the modern industrial era was really beginning. Man's viewpoint
was changing, and instead of remaining content with the material
achievements of the Atlantic and Central sections of the continent, he
began to realize that the vast Western regions and the thousand miles of
Pacific coast line were destined to be America's inexhaustible patrimony
for the years to come.

In 1880 the Union Pacific began its expansion to the eastward and
acquired control of the Kansas Pacific, which had come upon evil days,
and of the Denver Pacific, a most important connecting link. In January,
1880, these two companies were absorbed by the Union Pacific, which thus
obtained a continuous line from St. Louis westward. In the meantime the
Central Pacific, operating from Ogden west to the coast, had added many
branches, while a new company--known as the Southern Pacific Railroad
of California--had for some years been constructing a system of lines
throughout that State south of the Central Pacific and by 1877 had
penetrated to Yuma, Arizona, 727 miles southeast of San Francisco. It
had also built lines into Arizona and New Mexico and soon joined the
Santa Fe route, which had for some time been working westward.

During 1881 the Southern Pacific continued its eastern extensions along
the Rio Grande to El Paso, Texas, where it formed a connection with a
new road under construction from New Orleans. A junction was also made
at El Paso with the Mexican Central, which was under construction to the
City of Mexico. The Southern Pacific Railroad was closely allied with
the Central Pacific interests headed by Collis P. Huntington, and in
1884 the great Southern Pacific Company was formed, which acquired
stock control of the entire aggregation of railroads in the South
and Southwest. At the same time the Central Pacific came under direct
control of the Southern Pacific through a long lease.

During these eventful years, while the Southern Pacific properties were
penetrating eastward through the broad stretches of country to the south
of the Union Pacific lines, equally interesting events were occurring
in the north. In 1879 a consolidation was formed o