Catalog

Record Details

Catalog Search



From the river to the sea : the untold story of the railroad war that made the West / John Sedgwick.

Summary:
John Sedgwick recounts the decade-long fight between General William J. Palmer, the Civil War hero leading the "little family" of his Rio Grande, coming down from Denver, hoping to showcase the majesty of the Rockies, and William Barstow Strong, the hard-nosed manager of the corporate-minded Santa Fe, venturing west from Kansas. What begins as an accidental rivalry when the two lines cross in Colorado soon evolves into an all-out battle as each man tries to outdo the other--claiming exclusive routes through mountains, narrow passes, and the richest silver mines in the world; enlisting private armies to protect their land and lawyers to find loopholes; dispatching spies to gain information; and even using the power of the press and incurring the wrath of the God-like Robber Baron Jay Gould--to emerge victorious. By the end of the century, one man will fade into anonymity and disgrace. The other will achieve unparalleled success--and in the process, transform a sleepy backwater of thirty thousand called "Los Angeles" into a booming metropolis that will forever change the United States.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781982104283
  • ISBN: 1982104287
  • Physical Description: viii, 339 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
  • Edition: First Avid Reader Press hardcover edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Avid Reader Press, 2021.

Content descriptions

General Note:
Maps on endpapers.
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Prologue: A tale of two cities -- Introduction: A very personal war -- The raton pass. On the train to El Moro ; The wild west ; Beware the prairie lilies ; The grid ; Where to go ; Seeking Uncle Dick ; Santa Fe, Inc. ; Enter the queen ; The battle is joined -- The royal gorge. Precious metals ; "A game of bluff" ; Haw ; The dead-line ; This means war ; Bad men ; Gould ; A whiskey salute ; Harvey houses -- Los Angeles. The pueblo ; The big four ; "A terrible, single-handed talker" ; Guaymas ; "This is hard" ; The A&P ; The end of the line ; Ightham mote ; California for a dollar ; Boom! ; Home -- Epilogue: The frontier thesis.
Subject: Palmer, William Jackson, 1836-1909.
Strong, William Barstow.
Railroad companies > United States > History.
Railroads > United States > History.
Railroads > West (U.S.) > History.
Transportation.
United States > History > 19th century.

Available copies

  • 13 of 13 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 13 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Bangor Public Library 385.09 SED (Text) 75011000364395 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Dillsburg Area Public Library Adults 385.09 SED Nonfiction (Text) 34001001400728 Adult Area Available -
Guthrie Memorial Library: Hanover's Public Library Adults 385.09 SED Nonfiction (Text)
Bookplate: Plated 2021: In Memory of William J. Bingley
34007002435647 Adult Area Available -
New Oxford Library 385.09 SEDGWICK (Text)
Endowment: Robert D. Fidler Named Endowment, 2021
35740635739261 Nonfiction Available -
Parkland Community Library 385.09 SED (Text) 34422007208354 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Pottsville Free Public Library 385.09 Se28 (Text) 30003009049154 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Shamokin Coal Twp Public Library 385.097 SED (Text) 23175000565898 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Southern Lehigh Public Library 385.097 SED (Text) 30044100852476 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Taylor Community Library 385.09 SEDGWIC (Text) 50692010942152 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Village Library Adults 385.09 SED Nonfiction (Text) 34215000805402 Main Room Available -


Additional Resources