Lot
868 
Pacific Railroad Convention, San Francisco, printed oval corner card on circa 1860 cover to Georgetown Mass. bearing 1857, 10¢ green tied by "San Francisco, Jan 20" cds, top edge and flap mended, F.-V.F. appearance. Estimate $150 - 200.
The furor over the slavery issue decisively impacted the ultimate decision for the route of the transcontinental railroad to the Pacific Coast. In the late 1850s three routes had been proposed: a Northern Route from St. Paul to Portland; a Central Route from Sacramento to Council Bluffs; a Southern Route that followed the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. The Central Route was ultimately chosen when the Butterfield Route was closed because of the Civil War.
Theodore Judah was a civil engineer who actively promoted the Central Route and who later organized the Central Pacific Railroad, which became the western portion of the Union Pacific. He had gone to California to lay out the Sacramento to Folsom line, which opened in 1855. In the course of this work he became convinced that a central route via Salt Lake City and through the Platt River Valley was the only commercially viable one. He convinced the California legislature to favor this route, and in 1859 it called a State Convention on the Pacific Railroad to consider how it might be built. Judah was appointed agent of the Convention to carry a petition to Congress for federal aid. His activities in Washington was the catalyst which led to the adoption of the Central Route and its funding by that body when the Civil War began.
Realized: $550
Lot
869
Pacific Railroad Jun 30 (Towle 805-A-1), complete strike of cds on 3¢ red Nesbitt entire to St. Louis Mo.; flap missing and edge flaws, stain at lower right, Fine and rare, Rarity IX. Estimate $400 - 600.
Realized: $725
Lot
870
Phila. Wilm. & Balt. R.R. Co., illustrated corner card showing Locomotive, on cover to Baltimore, Md., franked with 1851, 3¢ dull tied by "Philadelphia, Pa., Jan 4" cds, Very Fine. Scott No. 11A Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $170
Lot
871
Profile and Franconia Notch Railroad, White Mountains, N.H., allover mountain view design in ultramarine, on cover to Providence, R.I., franked with 3¢ Banknote tied by large target handstamp, Very Fine. Scott No. 184 Estimate $200 - 300.
The Profile & Franconia Notch Railroad opened in 1879. It was conceived and constructed in response to the need for swift and safe transportation of wealthy and newly emergent middle class vacationers to the resort hotels of the western slopes of the White Mountains.
Realized: $160
Lot
872
Terminus Mont. and Terminus Utah Northern R.R., Idaho, two postal cards from each, the two Terminus Utah Northern R.R., Idaho cards are cancelled but without postmark and with printed datelines, the two Terminus Montana cards are cancelled by blue duplexes dated Jun. 20th and Aug. 21st, Very Fine and scarce group. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $95
Lot
873
Union Pacific R.R. Jun 11 (Towle 932-A-2), cds on orange cover with printed "U.P.R.R. Office, Fort Sanders W.T." corner card to Plato Oh., bearing 3¢ red, grilled cancelled by circled "A" cancel; edge faults at right slightly affect 3¢, F.-V.F., ex-Rosenthal. Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $1,100