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Trans-Continental, 1870
Boston to San Francisco
May 23rd to July
1st, 1870.
BOSTON BOARD OF TRADE
An on-board newspaper
accounting of
THE FIRST CHARTERED
RAILROAD EXCURSION FROM, ATLANTIC TO PACIFIC
Published Daily on
the Pullman Hotel Express, between Boston and San Francisco by Steele,
W.R. (editor). Various places: 1870. Volume 1, No. 1-12 (all published).
A distinct railroad oddity — a newspaper published aboard the first American
transcontinental charter train. The eight-car train was specially constructed
by the Pullman Company and took 130 passengers, most of them members or
families of members of the Boston Board of Trade, from Boston to San Francisco
and back between May 23rd and July 1st, 1870. W.R. Steele brought along
a small printing press and published 12 issues of this paper, one at each
notable stop — Niagara Falls, New York (May 24th), Omaha, Nebraska (May
26th), Cheyenne, Wyoming (May 27th), Ogden, Utah (May 28th), Salt Lake
City, Utah (May 30th), the summit of the Sierra Nevadas, California (May
31st), San Francisco, California (June 25th), Promontory Summit, Utah (June
27th), Laramie, Wyoming (June 28th), Grand Island, Nebraska (June 29th),
Burlington, Iowa (June 30th), and Boston, Mass. (July 4th). Each issue
recounts the adventures aboard the train, interesting sites they saw, and
telegraphic communications. Hardcover. 7.5"x10", title page + 48 pages;
several b/w illustrations; bound in green cloth with gilt title and image
of the train on the cover.
Edited description
of a bound volume containing all twelve issues by Joslin Hall Rare Books.
Part
of the fascination of reading old newspapers is the glorious sense of reliving
the past. Newspapers are the telling of history as it was made, for history
is never more fascinating than when read from the day it was first reported.
The TRANS-CONTINENTAL
was a stroke of historical genius in the mind of its editor, W. R. Steele.
On May 24, 1870 over 130 passengers, most members and family of the Boston
Board of Trade,* boarded a beautiful eight car Pullman train built under
special orders of George M. Pullman specifically for this trip, the first
chartered excursion by rail from Atlantic to Pacific. On board was carried
a quartomedium Gordon Press which printed 12 issues of the TRANS-CONTINENTAL,
each at a different point along the round-trip journey.
It was a glorious affair
enjoyed by all, amid the splendor of the finest mode of living ever constructed
on wheels. For their enjoyment, the passengers were lavished with the finest
food, surrounded by a setting which few of the finest mansions constructed
could rival, including two magnificent organs and two wellstocked libraries.
Sites of the new West as well as extraneous news and anecdotes of the day
were recorded in the pages of the TRANS- CONTINENTAL, witnessed by the
passengers continually in awe of the splendor of the prairies, magnificence
of the Rockies and the warmth and hospitality of the people they met along
the way.
The TRANS-CONTINENTAL
lasted but 42 days and 12 issues. Yet, it captured for generations to come
the spirit of exploring a grand, new country on board a 40 mile per hour
mechanical carriage. In eight days its readers transversed a territory
which at that time was thought a hazardous stretch of enchantment, known
only through books and fabled accounts of yesterday's pioneers.
Few issues of the TRANS-CONTINENTAL
remain. This reprint is provided to tell the story of one of America's
early accomplishments, for the many who find fascination in yesterday's
news.
TIMOTHY J. HUGHES
1981
*The Boston Board
of Trade was established in 1855 and lasted until 1884. It was created
to concentrate energies of a multitude of businesses for the benefit of
the city, hoping to return the maritime commerce of Boston to its former
glory. It never really accomplished this end, although it was successful
in maintaining a fraternal spirit and interest in commerce both foreign
and domestic, as it related to the Boston economy.
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"And as this train
speeds swiftly on,
May harmless mirth
flow freely from
Lips ever true,
yet sentimental,
And ably fill
the
TRANS-CONTINENTAL"
Courtesy Timothy
Hughes Collection. Reproduced by permission.
Printed
copies are available.
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