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COLLIS P. HUNTINGTON WRITES A LETTER CONCERNING THE PLACEMENT OF THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD IN UTAH: “THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD…THROUGH WEBER CANYON AND TAKE OUR LINES NORTH OF SALT LAKE…”

COLLIS P. HUNTINGTON (1821-1900). Huntington was one of the most important railroad builders in American history and partly responsible for the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Arriving in California as a successful New York merchant in 1849, Huntington soon began building one of the great American railway fortunes. In 1860, he was approached by Theodore Judah with a plan to build a railroad across the Sierra Nevada Mountains as part of a Transcontinental Railroad. Judah’s plan combined the talents of Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker and Mark Hopkins, known as “The Big Four.” These able men led to the completion of the Central Pacific Railroad, culminating in its connection with the Union Pacific at Promontory Point, Utah in May 1869.

THOMAS EWING, JR. (1829-96). Ewing was a Civil War soldier and Ohio Congressman. He was heavily involved in the Kansas Pacific Railway Company before the war and his father was Secretary of the Interior. After the Civil War, President Johnson offered Ewing both Attorney General and Secretary of War, but he declined both.

ALS (Autograph Letter Signed). 1pp. 5” x 8”. Nov 9th 1867. New York. A rare autograph letter signed “C. P. Huntington” addressed to Thomas Ewing, Jr. A year and a half before finishing the Transcontinental Railroad, Huntington wrote about the meeting point between the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific: “Herewith I have your last report of the Union Pacific Railroad (it has just been handed in) and you will notice that they took the line through Weber Canyon and take our lines north of Salt Lake Yours truly C P Huntington”. There are light burn marks at one edge, touching one letter of the autograph, but this affects little otherwise. A letter concerning the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad from one of the prime builders.

Courtesy of the owner, Stuart Lutz Historic Documents.