Map of the Sacramento Valley Railroad from the City of Sacramento to the Crossing of American River at Negro Bar, Sac. Co.

Cartographer: T. D. Judah, Chief Engineer (surveyed September 10 1853)

Year: 1854

Judah’s plan charts the first railroad surveyed west of the Mississippi, following a 22-mile line from Sacramento’s waterfront southeast through Sutterville, Brighton, and Rancho Leidesdorf before turning northeast to Negro Bar in today’s Folsom. Parallel plats show city blocks to be served by the depots, while land grants and ranch boundaries are lightly sketched to guide right-of-way negotiations. The route hugs the American River bluffs, avoiding flood-prone bottoms and steep grades marked by tight contour hachures. Branch spurs reach Prairie City and Alder Springs mining camps, signaling the line’s primary freight market—gold ore and quartz. Notes identify proposed bridges, trestles, and station grounds, and a bold north arrow ties the sinuous track to compass bearings. The map captures the strategic vision that later evolved into California’s first operating railroad in 1856.