An Illustrated History of Southern California

San Bernardino County enjoys the distinction of possessing the main lines of two trancontinental railroads—the Southern Pacific, and the Atlantic & Pacific, more popularly known as the Santa Fe. The Southern Pacific was the pioneer road, completing its bed through these parts in 1876. This road crosses the extreme south-west corner of the county, running east and west. It affords shipping facilities to numerous pros-perous towns and settlements, the centers of wide areas of rich fruit and agricultural lands. It has some forty-eight miles of track operating within the omfities of the county, which, together with 206 miles of roadbed leased to the Atlantic & Pacific, has an assessed value in round numbers of $3,000,000. During the busiest part of the year, the Southern Pacific receives sufficient freight, the product of the county, at Colton, to place that town third on the coast of importance as to east-bound shipments.

The line which the Southern Pacific in 1879 leased to the Atlantic & Pacific intersects the county almost centrally, extending east and west. It traverses a portion of the country not at-tractive to the eye, but immensely rich in mineral deposits, which have already added vastly to the wealth of the country, although their development is scarcely begun as yet. The Atlantic & Pacific has rolling stock and improvements whose assessed value is nearly $73,000. This road has a connecting line of the Southern California railway system making junction at Barstow.

The first direct rail communication between San Bernardino and the Eastern States was effected in 1887.

In 1883 the Southern California Railway was built between San Bernardino and San Diego, and in 1885 it was extended to Barstow. At first this line suffered severely, indeed, was rendered almost inactive, by heavy wash-outs, but eventually it rallied from the disastrous results of these misfortures.

Five different routes of the Santa Fe system now run daily trains into San Bernardino.

The overland route, which runs north and east via Barstow and The Needles to join the main line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe at Albuquerqe, brings enormous numbers of immigrants and excursionists hither yearly. The excursions are an especial feature of this line, offering every inducement of comfort and convenince to the visitor.

The California Central is a branch road, running between San Bernardino and Los Angeles. This line was built in 1887. It traverses with its leased lines some sixty miles of the county's choicest territory, limning westward along the foothills of the San Bernardino and Sierra Madre ranges, to Los Angeles and Ballona harbor. It is placed at such an elevation that it overlooks all the way southward the broad charming valley of this beautiful section. Along this ro. have sprung up the little townsof Rialto, North Cucamonga, and North Ontario, besides a number of other stnall towns which are situ-ated in Los Angeles County. A spot of this line, known as the Valley road, extends to Redlands and Mentone. The assessed mine of this road, with rolling stock and improvements, is $357,000.

The California Southern finds a northerly course from the San Diego County line through this county to its junction with the Atlantic & Pacific at Barstow. It lacks one-fourth of a mile of having 100 milea of main track. In round numbers, a valuation of $522,000 is placed upon its rights and property. This road, with the California Central, is operated by the California Southern Railway Company.

The machine shops, etc., of the Sante Fe line at San Bernardino were erected at a cost of $50,000, with stock and machinery, and the company pays out to its employees here the sum of $40,000, all of which goes into circulation in this section.

It is expected that this county will have shortly another transcontinental railroad, as the Union Pacific ia pushing the Utah Southern in this direction with great activity. Its objective point is believed to be Barstow, whence it will run its trains over the Santa Fe lines to all points in Southern California; and then, it is believed, it will unite with the Atlantic & Pacific road, and build up the coast from Mojave to San Fransisco. This road will open up a country rich in lumber, coal, and valuable mines.

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