Making the Grade: California and the Transcontinental Railroad

Discover the transcontinental railroad’s Golden State history in a new exhibit celebrating the 150th anniversary of the route’s completion at the California Museum.

Based on an online exhibit developed by the California State Archives, the installation features documents drawn from its collections and other from institutions. Highlights include historic documents, photographs, maps and more chronicling the California construction of the 1,912-mile line that connected America coast-to-coast and united the nation. Opens on May 10, 2019, to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the “Golden Spike” Ceremony in Promontory, UT, and continues through Sept. 1, 2019.

[IMAGE: Excursion train at Cape Horn, circa 1865-1866. By Alfred A. Hart, courtesy of the California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento, Calif.]