Map of the Southern Pacific Rail Road and Connections — June 1875

Cartographer: F. T. Newbery, draughtsman and engraver

Year: 1875

This compact atlas sheet uses bold black lines to trace Southern Pacific tracks then open or under construction from San Francisco south to Los Angeles and east through the Mojave toward Yuma. Red dashed lines show connecting railroads such as the Central Pacific in the Sacramento Valley and the Oregon & California line pushing north toward Portland. A wash-tinted relief palette highlights the Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and desert basins, while fine rivers and lake outlines orient the eye across California, Nevada, Utah, and the Arizona frontier. State boundaries are edged in bright hand color, and township grids appear where federal surveys were complete, notably in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. The legend at lower left clarifies the two track symbols, turning the map into a progress report for investors following Southern Pacific’s race to build a low-latitude transcontinental route.