This magnificent system, which finally realizes the dreams of many generations of statesmen and wise, public-spirited men in Texas, from the Republic of Texas to within our own times, extends from New Orleans to San Francisco, is excelled in equipment by none on the continent, and through its connections can route travelers direct to any quarter of the globe, place them at their destination in the shortest possible time, and supply them with every accommodation needed for comfort or luxury while in transit.

The Texas portion of the system includes the following roads: Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio, 917 miles; Texas & New Orleans, 394.90 miles; New York, Texas & Mexican, 150.81 miles; Gulf, Western Texas & Pacific, 111.20 miles; San Antonio & Gulf, 37.95 miles; and Galveston, Houston & Northern, 54.19 miles; an aggregate of 1666.05 miles.

"It would be tedious and unprofitable," says Rev. Homer Thrall in his history of Texas, "to enumerate the many charters for railroads during the Republic. No roads were built or even commenced. In 1852 the preliminary surveys were made upon two lines of road, and some work done: the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Road and the Memphis & El Paso Road. The Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Road, gauge four feet eight and one-half inches, was commenced under supervision of Gen. Sidney Sherman [Gen. Sherman commanded the Texan right at the battle of San Jacinto April 21, 1836, and, with his regiment, was the first to cross the Mexican breastworks] at Harrisburg in 1852. The second locomotive west of the Mississippi was on this road. The road reached Stafford's Point in 1853, Walker's in 1854, and Richmond, 32 miles from its initial point, in 1855. The Brazos was crossed by a temporary bridge nearly on a level with the water. It reached the Colorado at Eagle Lake, 65 miles, in 1859; Alleyton in 1860, and Columbus, where the Colorado was bridged, in 1866. By an act of the Legislature in 1870, the charter was changed, and San Antonio became its objective point. Since that period it has been known as the 'Sunset Route,' or the G. H.  & S. A. Railway. Thomas W. Pierce of Boston became the president and principal owner of the road. It reached Schulenburg in 1873, Luling in 1874, and Kingsbury in 1875. * * * It reached the Guadalupe River at Marion, 184 miles from Harrisburg, in September, 1876. In January, 1877, the terminus for passengers was changed from Harrisburg to Houston. On the 15th of January of that year it reached San Antonio. From this point it may be extended to the Rio Grande by any route the company may select. As the road is now built, It has a length of 215 miles, of which 36 miles are steel rails, and the Remainder of the best iron T rails, and all fish-plated. There are 14.3 miles of pile and trestle bridges; 1401 linear feet of iron truss bridges, and 3112 feet of combination truss bridging on the line, all of which are pronounced by competent judges as first class in every respect and the entire road as A No. 1 in every particular.   *   *  * "

Mr. Thrall wrote in 1878:
Mr. H. A. Thompson, expert engineer of the Railroad Commission of Texas, says in an article published in 1901 in the "Transactions of the Texas Academy of Science": "The Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railway was incorporated by act approved February 11, 1850, and was projected from a point on Buffalo Bayou between Lynchburg and Houston, west to the Colorado River, thence north to Austin, to develop the very fertile valleys of the Brazos and Colorado Rivers. This is the pioneer of Texas railways. * * * Work commenced on this road just 22 years after the first railway was in operation in the United States. * * * Work began near Harrisburg in 1851 when the first locomotive ever brought into Texas (weighing twelve tons) was put on. * * * It had early been the intention of the company to extend the line up the Colorado valley to Austin, but it was seen that the natural course was in the direction of San Antonio, and an extension was chartered February 16, 1858, under title of the Columbus, San Antonio & Rio Grande Railroad from the Colorado River near Columbus west via Gonzales and San Antonio to the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, To connect the B. B., B. & C. Ry. with the C. S. A. & R. R.R., the Columbus Tap Railway was incorporated by act approved February 2, 1860.

"No further construction was done on any of these lines until after the civil war. In accordance with an act passed at the called session of the Twelfth Legislature, approved July 27, 1870, the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway was chartered to succeed the B. B., B. & C. Ry.; also to acquire and succeed to the corporate rights of the Columbus Tap Railway and extend same west, via San Antonio, to El Paso with branch lines to Austin and Eagle Pass. Construction began again in 1874. * * * On March 1, 1877, the road was in operation to San Antonio, 207 miles. In 1880 the branch from Stella to Houston was opened, and also the Austin branch as far as La Grange. On September 1, 1881, the company was reported to have 100 miles in operation east of El Paso.

Construction proceeded as rapidly as possible and the gap between San Antonio and El Paso was closed in 1883. The Eagle Pass branch was opened from Spofford to Eagle Pass about the same time."

The G. H. & S. A. is one of the best constructed and most efficiently operated [standard gauge, best steel rails, rock-ballasted, dustless] railways in the State, and constitutes an important link in the great Southern Pacific Transcontinental Railway system, one of the most powerful and successful railway systems in the world.

" * * * The Texas & New Orleans Railroad was chartered by act approved September 1, 1856, under the name of the Sabine & Galveston Bay Railroad and Lumber Co., from the Sabine river in Orange county, via Beaumont, to Galveston bay. An act approved December 24, 1859, changed the name to the T. & N. O. Railroad. Work began on this line in Houston in 1858. By January 1, 1861, it was in operation to the Sabine river at Orange. It was partially destroyed by the Confederates in 1865, and was not entirely rebuilt and operated again until 1876. August 1, 1876, it was reopened for traffic from Houston to Orange. The charter was amended May 23, 1882, to provide for a line from Sabine Pass to Marshall. The Sabine & East Texas Railway was acquired, which was in operation from Sabine Pass to Rockland, 103 miles. * * * By an act approved May 22, 1899, the T. & N. O. Railroad was authorized to purchase and consolidate with the Texas Trunk Railroad from Dallas to Cedar, about 50 miles, and extend same to connect with the former Sabine & East Texas Railway at Rockland."

The New York, Texas & Mexican Railway was chartered November 17, 1880, to extend from Rosenberg to Brownsville, and was completed to Victoria, 91 miles, by January 15, 1882.

The Gulf, Western Texas & Pacific Railway was chartered under an act of the Legislature passed August 4, 1870, which authorized the consolidation of the San Antonio & Mexican Gulf Railroad and Indianola Railroad under that name. The San Antonio & Mexican Gulf Railroad was chartered under an act approved September 5, 1850, to extend from Port Lavaca to San Antonio. The Indianola Railroad was chartered under an act approved January 21, 1858, to extend from Indianola, via Gonzales, to Austin. After a few miles had been graded it was taken over, in 1860, by the S. A. & M. G. Ry. Co. Construction on the San Antonio & Mexican Gulf Railroad began at Port Lavaca in 1856. It was open for traffic as far as Victoria, 28 miles, in April, 1861. It was destroyed by General Magruder in December, 1863, and was rebuilt by the Federal authorities in 1865-6. After the consolidation under the Act of August 4, 1870, construction was resumed. The line was open for traffic to Cuero, May 31, 1874, and was subsequently extended 55 miles to Beeville.

The following are the principal officers of the Southern Pacific Railway system in Texas: C. H. Markham, Vice-President; W. G. Van Vleck, Manager; H. A. Jones, Freight Traffic Manager; T. J. Anderson, General Passenger Agent; C. K. Dunlap, General Freight Agent.

If you desire information about any part of the immense territory penetrated by the Southern Pacific, rice lands, timber lands, fruit lands, mountain and seaside pleasure resorts, etc., write to T. J. Anderson, General Passenger Agent, at Houston.

The wharves and other terminal facilities of the Southern Pacific at Galveston were constructed at a cost of $1,500,000; are surpassed by those of no road anywhere in the United States, and are a source of just pride not only to Galveston, but all Texas.

The road has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop the rice and fruit sections of the State, and is continuing the good work; has been foremost in every movement to build up the fortunes of the State, and the people, feeling that "one good turn deserves another," are its fast friends.