Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Teaching Collection: California’s Industrial Transformation—Snapshots 1860–1939
Completion of the transcontinental railroad in the late 19th century facilitated the growth of budding industries that shaped California history, bringing in new waves of immigrants and migrants from diverse cultures along with new businesses and fresh ideas. California seemed like a golden land of opportunity, inspiring dreams of sunny days perfumed by orange blossoms—an ideal that would persist. While opportunities for wealth did exist, so too did many challenges for both newcomers and people already living on the land.
These primary sources offer a snapshot of life in California during this transformative period, after California became the 31st state and before the onset of World War II in 1939.
Central Pacific R.R. and views adjacent
Rare Books
An album of 48 mammoth plate photographs by Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) of scenes along the California-Nevada route of the Central Pacific Railroad, from ports in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada mountain passes. The majority of views were made in 1876, with a few made later, approximately 1879-1880s. The album begins with a photograph of a locomotive that has just traveled across the continent and has arrived at the Oakland Long Wharf, followed by scenes of a train and its passengers being transported on a railroad ferry. Other Central Pacific Railroad views depict a massive wooden bridge being built over the American River, with one view prominently featuring Chinese workers hauling rock in wheelbarrows. Trains are shown navigating through a mountain pass at Cape Horn, and railroad workers are seen posed with locomotives. Other scenes on the Central Pacific route include Soda Springs recreation area, with views of Mark Hopkins cabin, a man and two women under a gazebo, and a croquet game set up in a meadow. There are a series of views of Lake Tahoe, including two hotels with people posed outside; scenic views of the mountains, lake and surroundings from multiple viewpoints; Emerald Bay; Fallen Leaf Lake; boats and docks; and a lumber mill on the shore at Glenbrook. A narrow-gauge lumber railroad is shown in the mountains near Spooner Summit, and there are two birds-eye-views of the town of Reno, Nevada, that include the train station, buildings and boardwalks.
RB 137501
