of the Pacific. The people of the East saw that a Railroad was an essential military necessity—thus the transcontinental grants.
The people of the West were no less awake to the necessity of a means of communication. Incessantly from 1850 on, telegraph and railroad connections had been talked. Preliminary surveys were made and propaganda had been put forth. Judah made his surveys and pressed his plans and the Railroad fever was abroad generally.
In Oregon also there were plans for Railroads, but none matured. It was left for California to supply the impetus which finally gave to Oregon the road through tiie historic Willamette Valley, and which in recent years has been an integral part of the Southern Pacific System. It is our plan to try to trace the history of this company to its merger with the Southern Pacific. No history of the Oregon and California Railroad can be complete unless it considers too, that Railroad with which in the beginning years it held a common name. Thus we will follow the history of both Oregon Central Companies, until they become one in the Oregon and California Company. The history of the Oregon and California Raliroad after 1887 is part of the hostory of the Southern Pacific. With this phase we shall touch very briefly, and then only to trace the land policy which ended finally in the forfeiture of the grant to the United States.
Before we consider the history of this company let us first enlarge upon the general background of railroad history in the United States. During the Civil War little building could be done. The decade just preceding the Civil War, however, was of great importance. It was a period of great increase in railroads. The steady growth of the Middle West had necessitated this development. Farm machinery was coming into vogue and production was increased. In 1846 England had declared for free trade so a market was open for the products of United States. By this time too, the country had fully recovered
