Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, Vol. 2: The Southern Roads

Engineering & Transportation

David F. Myrick

Transportation

Howell-North Books

This impressive volume continues David F. Myrick's comprehensive history of the railroads of Arizona by focusing on the lines built to serve the Salt River Valley and the towns and mines along the Gila River. It records the fascinating story of ninety years that witnessed failures and frustrations as well as final fulfillment. It animates the many colorful railroading pioneers who helped transform a thinly settled frontier into a region containing one of the largest cities in the Southwest - Phoenix. A century ago, when thousands of miles of railroads were being built each year, Phoenix was still a village served only by stagecoaches and teamsters. Eight attempts were made over a ten-year period to build one 35-mile rail line into the Salt River Valley. Obstacles of all sorts had to be overcome: topographic barriers, lack of financing, unwillingness of residents to bear heavy tax burdens to pay for railroad construction, the need for action by the territorial legislature and Congress, the inaction of insincere speculators, and the ineptitude of inexperienced builders. Yet all obstacles were finally surmounted and one railroad after another pushed into Phoenix and the surrounding area. This delightfully detailed book describes all the people and events contributing to the development of the Central Arizona railroad corridor.

Railroads of Arizona, Vol. 2: Phoenix and the Central Roads

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Join author David Myrick as he takes us on an historical journey through Montecito’s years of transition from a sleepy seaside town to today’s vibrant, wealthy community. Volume II centers on the era of the Great Estates, when the influx of prosperous families changed the physical, social, and economic tableau of Montecito. 
This is the story of the families that came to Montecito to build great estates for their winter visits. This too is the story of the people who came only to visit and who paid for the privilege to stay at some of these palatial residences. Author Myrick takes the reader through the entire history of selected estates—from conception to destruction in some cases—and provides the family history of many of the estates’ founders as well as successive owners. The reader will sample some of the festive parties given during this era, and learn of the occasional tragedies that befell area families. 
The construction and development of Montecito’s great gardens also receive detailed attention. Along with the people who envisioned these beautiful gardens the reader will meet the people who built and maintained them. Many photos of these gardens are handsomely reproduced here. 
Beyond the history of the great estates are the supporting characters in the history of Montecito. These include the men and women who built, molded, and taught at the schools in the Montecito area. It’s also the story of how Montecito established and maintained a stable water supply; the history of the Fire Department; the construction of the area’s system of roads, telephone service, shopping centers, hotels, churches, and golf and tennis clubs. 
This profusely illustrated work, with over 300 photographs and illustrations, also includes the bibliography and index for both Volume I and II.

Montecito and Santa Barbara, Vol. 2: The Days of the Great Estates

History

Americas

Pentrex Media Group

Collection of ten essays written for a symposium sponsored by Utah's Western History Center in honor of the centennial of the Golden Spike. With photographs. 163 pages.

The Golden Spike

George Kraus

Gerald D. Nash

Thomas M. Goodfellow

L. E. Hoyt

John C. Kenefick

Wallace D. Farnahm

Lawrence G. Lashbrook

J. R. MacaNally

Reed C. Richardson

University of Utah Press

This carefully researched and well-written book by an eminent railroad historian gives a detailed account of the conception and building of the Western Pacific, which was in effect the Pacific extension of the Denver &amp; Rio Grande. Coverage includes the northern California extension and Great Northern's 1931 entrance into the Golden State. Operations are described right up to merger with the Union Pacific.

Colorado Rail Annual No. 27: Western Pacific, The Last Transcontinental Railroad

Colorado Railroad Museum

Southern Pacific rails stretched westward from Tucumcari and New Orleans to Los Angeles, north to Portland and south to Guadalajara, Mexico. With the line from San Francisco to Ogden, the system spanned over 18,000 miles by 1935. In the shadows of the extensive rail lines stood various ferry and steamship operations. Almost from the beginning the Central Pacific operated ferryboats across the bay to complete the Overland Route journey to or from San Francisco.....

Southern Pacific Water Lines: Marine, Bay and River Operations of the Southern Pacific System

Southern Pacific Historical Technical Society

This is a new Santa Fe Volume in David F. Myrick's acclaimed series of books about Arizona railroading. It is a history of efforts to construct a north-south railroad connecting Phoenix with Santa Fe main line in northern Arizona, as well as the operations of that and connected lines, such as the route to California with a Colorado River Bridge at Parker. The Various mining roads tributary to the "Peavine," as the Santa Fe line was known, are also here, along with the rich mining history and associated railroads of the area around Prescott. As with any railroad built in pioneer days, the Peavine's history is interwoven with the histories of towns along the route, making this book a rich trove of Arisona history. With some 261 photos, many never before published and of considerable historic value, together with 29 fine maps, a bibliography and an index, this is an essential book for anyone who is a railroad enthusiast of is interested in the history of Arizona and the West.

Santa Fe to Phoenix - Railroads of Arizona Vol. 5

Signature Press

Cloth with dust jacket, 8.5x11, 248 pages, 235 photos, 28 maps, bibliography, index. 2010. "This addition to Myrick's renowned series on Arizona railroads covers the great copper operation at Jerome, and a number of roads in the northern part of the state, including the still-operating Grand Canyon Railway. The Grand Canyon trackage was for many years a Santa Fe branch, and serves a tourist railroad today. Both the construction history, as well as the story of the line's revival in the 1990s, are thoroughly covered here. "Jerome was served by four railroads at various times, most notably the Verde Tunnel &amp; Smelter Railroad, a property of United Verde Copper Company, the primary mining producer at Jerome. Also noteworthy was the United Verde &amp; Pacific narrow gauge, which has its own chapter here, as does the United Verde Extension Railroad. Both are part of the complex railroad history of the Jerome area. "Another road serving the Jerome area was the Verde Valley Railway, long a Santa Fe branch, and active today as both the Arizona Central (for freight) and Verde Canyon (tourist trips). Thoroughly documented here are several shorter-lived railroads which served mining camps, including the Arizona &amp; Swansea, Arizona &amp; Utah, the Mohave &amp; Milltown, and the narrow gauge line serving Ryan. Notable occurences in the mining camps are described too. Also presented are the modern coal-hauling roads, the Coronado and the Black Mesa &amp; Lake Powell railroads. " Even some of the famous unbuilt railroad proposals, like the Arizona Northern and the Intermountain, St. George &amp; Grand Canyon, have their place in the story, and their history is here. As is typical of Myrick's work, these railroad histories encompass the histories of the towns and regions they served, providing a lively and detailed view of the history of pioneer Arizona.

Railroads of Arizona, Vol. 6: Jerome and the Northern Roads

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Books by David F. Myrick