Salt Lake City to Oakland on the Western Pacific Railroad

The train on the front of this post card is on its way from Salt Lake City

to Oakland. It is traveling on the Western Pacific Railroad line constructed along the Feather River in California. That little building you see toward the bottom is Belden Station. The information about Belden Station and the Feather River Route was taken from these two websites: From www.fs.usda.gov/internet/stelprdb5397333 and from www.YankeeHillHistory.com In Mrch of 1903, the Denver Rio Grande Railroad financed the creation of the Western Pacific Railway in California. The march was on to create a passage to Oakland and San Francisco for the Denver Rio Grande Railroad. A survey party was dispatched along the North Fork of the Feather River to finalize that portion of the route. The Utah Construction Co. began work on the railroad here in 1905 for Western Pacific Railroad. The whole route was completed in 1909 and covered 927 miles from Salt Lake City to Oakland. The Feather River route was chosen as a low-elevation passage through the Sierra Nevada, following the erosional cut of the Feather River through the crest. From Oroville to Beckwourth Pass, the line was constructed to allow for only a maximum 1% grade for the entire climb, as well as for the entire 927 miles of rail between San Francisco & Salt Lake City. Improved access helped to begin an era of recreation in the Feather River Canyon. As early as 1911, Western Pacific publicized the Feather River route as the scenic route. The trains would stop at the resorts popping up along the route. You and the family could take a train in the morning, fish all day and return that evening to Oroville. If you wanted to spend the weekend or even longer, these stops provided lodging. In 1912 a round trip from Oroville to Beldon was $1.10 Folks would catch the Western Pacific’s “Fisherman’s Special” up to Belden for a weekend of prized Rainbow Trout at the Riverside Resort. Settlers and miners living at Humbug Valley brought wagons down the Longville Road, south to the rail station at Belden Town. The original wooden bridge was replaced with a steel bridge in 1912. From 1909 to 1937 the railroad was king of the canyon.

The post card was published by Souvenir Novelty Company. I have 21 post cards that they published in my collection. The company existed in Salt Lake City, Utah from 1910 to 1927. It was a publisher of local souvenir books and postcards in lithography. Many of their cards were printed by Curt Teich. The dividing line between correspondence and the address sections tells us that this post card, indeed, was printed by Curt Teich. Edward H. Mitchell was a partner in the Souvenir Novelty Company: March 4, 1914 “Mr. Edward H. Mitchell has purchased our interest in the Souvenir Publishing Company".