Your Guide Book to the Pacific Railroad, 1879
Stations in California
Truckee to Rocklin
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Snow sheds in the Sierra Nevada |
Snow sheds are found east of Strong's Canon Station, and west of Emigrant Gap, wherever there is no side hill, and the removal of the snow would be difficult to plow. In all, there are about 40 miles of the sheds.
TRUCKEE
(259 miles from San Francisco, elevation 6,897 feet)
The town was named after General Fremont's old Indian,
who was engaged to guide the unfortunate Donner party across the Sierra. It is
full of business and beauty in summer and winter. Here, among good hotels, is
the best place in the Sierras to be snowed in, although twice as much snow may
be seen falling at the summit.
It is the dividing line between the Truckee and Sacramento divisions
of the railroad, with a roundhouse for 24 engines.
There is a tri-weekly newspaper, the Republican, and is
the most important town in the Sierras.
The town was burned in 1868, 1869, in 1874, and "China
Town" in 1875.
Its hotels are first class; the "Truckee Hotel,"
where the trains stops, and the Cardwell House across the wide street and a
little removed form the noise of passing trains.
Stage Lines Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to:
Randolph; 28 miles, time four hours, fare $4.
Sierraville, 29 miles, four and a quarter hours, $4.
Sierra City, 60 miles, ten hours, $8.
Downieville, 72 miles, twelve hours, $10.
Jamison City, 55 miles, ten hours, $8.
Eureka Mills, 58 miles, ten and a half hours, $8.
SUMMIT
(252 miles from San Francisco, elevation 7,017 feet)
The highest point on the line and the train is ready to
descend rapidly to the valley of the Sacramento.
The Summit House is the largest hotel along the line of the
road, accommodates 150 guests and is one of the most popular in the Sierras.
CISCO
(231 miles from San Francisco, elevation 5,939 feet)
A day and night telegraph station. It was named for
John J. Cisco, the sterling assistant treasurer of the United Sates, during the
late Civil War.
COLFAX
(193 miles from San Francisco, elevation 2,422 feet)
It was named in honor of the late vice-president and is
a day telegraph station, and the breakfast and supper station for the overland
trains. Seventy-five cents, coin, are charged for meals, and 25 minutes allowed
for eating them.
The old settlement was Illinoistown, but with the opening of
the station, the old town was finished.
Colfax has a population of 1,000, two churches, Methodist
Episcopal, and Congregational, three hotels and stores to indicate that it is a
center for trade for a population of several thousand.
Nevada
County Narrow Gauge Railroad
From Colfax starts a small narrow gauge railroad
twenty-two and one-half miles long, passing through scenery of the most exciting
character. The tourist should spend one day over it.
AUBURN
(175 miles from San Francisco, elevation 1,360 feet)
The town has a population of 1,000, two churches, good schools, fine
orchards, and is the county-seat of Placer County. It is one of the oldest towns
in the State. It has three hotels, one of which is the Railroad House.
The Placer Herald is a weekly Democratic paper, and
the Argus, a weekly Republican paper.
NEWCASTLE
(170 miles from San Francisco, elevation 956 feet)
It has a hotel and several stores, every man in the
place a Good Templar, and some promising quartz mines in the vicinity.
The town was named after an old resident and hotel-keeper
called Castle.
ROCKLIN
(162 miles from San Francisco, elevation 249 feet)
The point at which eastbound trains take an extra
locomotive to ascend the mountain. The roundhouse of the Central Pacific has 28
stalls and is a most substantial structure, made from the granite quarries near
the station.
From these quarries, many of the streets of San Francisco are
paved, public and private buildings erected, and here were cut the immense
blocks for the pavements of the Palace Hotel.