Kramer, Calif. -- Alt. 2,483. Fourteen miles north is Fremont Peak, where General Fremont camped; Saddleback Mountain, 5 miles northwest, extinct volcanic crater.
Muroc, Calif. (named for Corum Brothers -- reverse spelling) -- Alt. 2,279; pop. 44. Farming, stock raising and mining; Santa Fe line here runs across Great Dry Lake, 7 miles wide, 15 miles long, which looks like sand but instead surface is hard and smooth as glass. Here is located largest airplane bombing field (in area) in the U. S.
Mojave, Calif. (named after Indian tribe) -- Alt. 2,745; pop. 1,800. Los Angeles water-supply viaduct from Owens Lake crosses track north of town -- 226 miles long, cost $25,000.000. Unusual mountain scenery between Mojave and Tehachapi. Gold Queen Mine, recently sold for 3 1/2 million dollars, located short distance south of here. Santa Fe and Southern Pacific operate over joint trackage between Mojave and Tehachapi.
Tehachapi, Calif. (Indian name) -- Alt. 3,963; pop. 1,685. Fruit and grain, stock raising and feeding; apple and pear orchards in small high valley. Noted Tehacnapi loop (about 10 miles west and 1,000 feet below this station), crossing southern extension of Sierra Nevada and Coast ranges, achieves summit of range by series of remarkable loops and tunnels -- length of loop 3,795 feet. Trains require extra engines in this section. Parklike forests of oak and pine. Has oldest bank in state.
Caliente, Calif. (Spanish, means "warm, hot") -- Alt. 1,293; pop. 50. On south slope Tehachapi Mountains, where eastward ascent begins. Near horseshoe curve, where eastbound trains go west, and westbound trains go east! Hydro-electric plants on upper Kern River produce 250,000 horse power in electricity. Gold and silver mines.
Bakersfield, Calif. (named for Col. Thomas Baker, early settler) -- Alt. 404; pop. 45,000. County seat Kern County, which is about size of state of Massachusetts. Located at south end San Joaquin Valley on Kern River, are 250,000 acres land, irrigated by 1,500 canals and ditches. General farming, cotton raising, dairying, stock ranches; large oil and gas fields, tributary to Bakersfield. Many important manufacturing industries including iron pipe and cement works, planing mills, railroad shops and ice plants located here. Important Santa Fe terminal yards located heare are being expanded to accomodate 300 additional cars of traffic. Junction point Santa Fe branches to Maricopa, Taft, Di Giorgio and Arvin. Also on S. P. Ry.
Shafter, Calif. (named for Spanish war general -- William R. Shafter) -- Alt. 347; pop. 10,500. Potatoes, onions, cotton and hay grown in this section. Large number of oil wells. 22 potatoe packing warehouses. 4 cotton gins.
Wasco, Calif. (named after Indian tribe) -- Alt. 353; pop. 4,300. Farming, vineyards, archards, cotton gins. Site of world's deepest oil well, 16,004 feet. Dairying and livestock. Lost Hills oil fields 20 miles west.
Cocoran, Calif. (named for former Santa Fe official) -- Alt. 210; pop. 3,600. Principal industries dairying, pure-bred live stock and hogs. Reclaimed Tulare Lake grain district 4 miles west, heavy yields wheat and barley. Cotton gins, cotton oil and linseed oil plants. Stock yards also located here. Junction point Santa Fe branch to Fresno via Visalia.
Hanford, Calif. (named for James Hanford, former railroad paymaster) -- Alt. 248; pop. 8,600. County seat Kings County. Dairying and fruit growing; grain, cotton, hay, and pure-bred live stock. One of largest milk condenseries in west. Lake bottomlands produce heavy grain crop per acre. Half mile below Santa Fe bridge is site of Kingston, an old stage route, Monterey to Visalia -- scene of exploits Joaquin Murietta, bandit. Mussel slough made famous by Frank Norris in "The Octopus." King county has most famous oil field in world -- Ketteman Hills. Hanford has a $500,000 school system and $225,000 civic auditorium. Also on S. P. Ry.
Laton, Calif. -- Alt. 260; pop. 600. Market town for the Laguna de Tache grant -- one of the most productive farming sections of the San Joaquin Valley.
Calwa, Calif. (name is abbreviation of California Wine Assn. Cal-W-A) -- Alt. 291; pop. 500. Santa Fe terminal and shops, ice plant and foundry. Located in heart of fruit and raisin district.
Fresno, Calif. (Spanish means "ash") -- Alt. 296; pop. 102,000. County seat Fresno County. Center of dried fruit and sweet wine industries of world. The district produces annually 250,000 tons of raisins. Thirty wineries in 25 miles radius have combined storage capacity in excess of 35 million gallons. District also noted for table grapes, peaches, figs, citrus fruit, dairying, alfalfa, cotton, flax, grain and stock raising. County ranks second in United States for agricultural wealth. Site of Fresno State College. Nearby scenic points include: Friant Dam, Millerton Lake, Kearney Boulevard, Kearney Park, State Agricultural Experiment Station, Van Ness Boulevard, Fig Gardens and Roeding Park. Gateway to three national parks -- Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia and also to Huntington Lake and the High Sierras. Santa Fe division headquarters and operating terminal. Junction point Santa Fe branch to Visalia, Tulare and Poterville.
Madera, Calif. (Spanish, means "timber-wood") -- Alt. 295; pop. 7,530. County seat Madera County. State highway to Yosemite Valley via Wawona-Big Trees, 86 miles. Fish camp and Bass Lake summer resort, 60 miles.
LeGrand, Calif. (named for W. LeGrand Dickinson, early day land owner) -- Alt. 253; pop. 400. "White Rock," Fremont's guide, east of track. Grain elevator. Almond orchards. Cattle and tomato shipping point.
Planada, Calif. (Spanish means "level ground") -- Alt. 228; pop. 500. Several thousand acres of peach, apricot, fig and almond orchards, in vicinity. Largest turkey farm in world located here. Dehydraters and dry yards. On Yosemite highway.
Merced, Calif. (Spanish, means "mercy") -- Alt. 176; pop. 16,000. County seat Merced County. Near Merced River. Tributary country devoted to dairying, orchards, vineyards, grain and stock ranches; most agriculturally diversified county in the state. Gateway to Yosemite National Park, Mariposa big trees, Tuolumne big trees and Hetch-Hetchy valley, in High Sierras -- or by auto via Wawona and Mariposa grove.
Empire, Calif. -- Alt. 128; pop. 350. Junction with Modesto & Empire Traction Co., which serves city of Modesto, pop. 17,200, county seat Stanislaus County. Center of fruit shipping industry for county.
Riverbank, Calif. (name derived from geographical location) -- Alt. 135; pop. 1,500. Santa Fe division point and important terminal with large track yards that are being expanded to take care of 200 more cars. Fruit growing and dairying section. On Stanislaus River. Junction point Santa Fe branch to Oakdale, thence Sierra railway to Tuolumne and stage through Bret Harte's country to Yosemite and Calaveras grove of big trees.
Escalon, Calif. (Spanish, means "stepping stones") -- Alt. 118; pop. 1,250. Center of 140,000 acre tract irrigated land, divided between south San Joaquin and Oakdale irrigation districts. Principal industries: fruit and alfalfa raising and dairying. 2 wineries; one large lumber yard, planing mill. County library.
Stockton, Calif. (named for California's first military governor, Commodore Stockton) -- Alt. 23; pop. 70,989. County seat of San Joaquin County, ranking first in United States in diversity of agricultural crops and sixth in value of these products. Was one of first outfitting posts established in state during early gold rush. Near southern mining districts which are producing large quatities of gold, silver and other minerals. Located at head of 32 foot Channel, 88 miles inland from Golden Gate. Has berthing facilities for 8 ocean-going vessels in heart of rich agricultural and industrial center. 292 factories producing $45,500,000 worth of manufactured articles. 1,000 miles of fresh navigable waterways providing the best bass fishing in the United States, and connecting with the Pacific Ocean. The oldest co-educational college in California, teh College of Pacific is located here. Stockton is the gateway to California's greatest scenic attractions. Big Trees, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Mount Lassen, Sequoia National Park. Also on S.P. and W. P. Rys.
Middle River, Calif. (name derived from geographical location) -- Alt. 25; pop. 80. Bacon and Woodward islands, in heart of the "Holland of America," with its 400 miles of navigable waterways and half a million reclaimed acres; raising aspargus, onions, beans, corn, barley and potatoes. Soil here is composed of peat 12 to 20 feet deep; overflow prevented by levees. Large wharf and storage warehouses.
Cross Middle River
Cross Old River
Knightsen, Calif. (named for G. M. Knight, farmer, who donated land for railroad) -- Alt. 24; pop. 300. Mount Diablo in distance -- in olden days Diablo range rendezvous of outlaws. West of Knightsen was Spanish grant of 25,000 acres. First white settlement in 1847. Almond and peach groves, and vineyards; dairying; celery and asparagus. Adjacent to great delta.
Oakley, Calif. (named for oak trees growing here) -- Alt. 19; pop. 761. Large asparagus shipping point; asparagus and tomato packing houses; vineyards and orchards, Oakley to Antioch.
Antioch, Calif. (means "desirable location on water") -- Alt. 7; pop. 6,000. Fruit packing houses, 2 asparagus canneries; largest almond orchards in state; largest paper and straw board mills west of Chicago. Raise celery, lettuce, asparagus, onions, beans, hemp and grain. Mount Diablo visible. Large ship-building yard.
Pittsburg, Calif. (named after Pittsburgh, Pa.) -- Alt. 21; pop. 16,000. Important industrial city. Chemical, steel, rubber, lumber, fishing and asbestos plants. Deep, government maintained water front. Also Contra Costa Canal.
Port Chicago, Calif. (name inspired by the city of Chicago, Ill.) -- Alt. 7; pop. 2,000. Large chemical factory, cement plant, 2 large oil refineries. Also on S. P. Ry.
Glen Frazer, Calif. (named for resident of valley) -- Alt. 300; pop. 10. In narrow canyon, 1,000 feet from Franklin tunnel, which is 1 1/8 miles long, with concrete wall 3 feet thick -- this tunnel pierces Franklin range of hills 300 feet below summit. Through this canyon and down west side Santa Fe track parallels old "tote" trail, established when gold was discovered in Calaveras county. All "tote" teams used this route between Oakland and gold district.
SanPablo, Calif. (Spanish, means: "Saint Paul") -- Alt. 31; pop. 489. Standard oil company supply tanks; San Pablo bay to west, San Pablo ridge and Berkeley hills to east. Also on S. P. Ry.
Richmond, Calif. -- Alt. 6; pop. 27,000. Standard oil refinery, Pullman plant, Santa Fe terminal and numerous other industries. Henry Ford's largest Pacific Coast assembling plant located here. Deep sea vessels laod and sicharge cargoes. Also on S. P. Ry.
Berkeley, Calif. (named for Bishop George Berkeley, philosopher, poet and educator) -- Alt. 0 to 1,300; pop. 111,070. Located opposite Golden Gate. University of California, largest university in teh world -- notable features are Greek Theater, classic open air auditorium; Sather Campanile, 307 feet high; Charles Franklin Doe Memorial Library, 500,000 volumes; Life Science Building, costing $2,000,000; California Memorial Stadium, costing $1,500,000 and seating 80,000; International House costing $1,700,000, student dormatory and social center. California State School for Deaf and Blind; Pacific School of Religion. 159 major industrial plants located here. Also on S. P. Ry.
Oakland, Calif. (name derived from oak trees) -- Alt. 0 to 1,800; pop. 360,000. Third largest city in California. On mainland side San Francisco Bay. Alameda county population 660,000.
Eastern terminus of San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. 150 nationally known manufacturers have plants here, total factories 978. A natural inland harbor with 21 miles of waterfront. Principal products: engines, copra and coconut products, cotton fabrics, wire cloth, dyes, automobiles, trucks, tractors, canned fruits and vegetables, soap, fuel and lubricating oils, steel castings, lumber, cans, glass, chemicals paints, ink, farm machinery, paper, stoves, refrigerators, washing machines and leather clothing.
Seventy-five hotels here including: Leamington, St. Mark, Harrison, Menlo, Lake Merrit, Piedmont, Roosevelt, Lakeside. Forty-seven parks aggregating 634 acres, including Lakeside Park 3 blocks east of $3,000,000 City Hall. Civic Auditorium Exposition Building and new $3,500,000 Alameda County Courthouse, front on Lake Merritt, and tidal lake in heart of city. Nine country clubs and three public golf links. Highland Drive passes through millionaire residential section of Piedmont, and Skyline Drive along Coast Range. California School Fine Arts, Mills College, and University of California reached by rapid electric lines and buses. Terminus of Santa Fe Railway and two other transcontinental lines. Oakland important exporting and importing point. Oakland Municipal Airport rated among first in the nation. Also on S. P.; and W. P. Rys.
San Francisco, Calif. (Spanish, means "Saint Francis") -- Alt. 0 to 938; pop. 775,000. The headquarters center for over 235 Federal Agencies and many hundred firms of naitonal reputation. San Francisco is the commercial center of the Bay Area containing an estimated population of 2,154,563 or 420,000 more than in 1940. The Bay Area was one of the foremost shipbuilding centers in the nation's war production program as well as one of the nation's outstanding ports of embarkation on behalf of the war effort, where following the outbreak of war more military cargo was cleared than in any other port in the nation. Here is San Francisco is a highly diversified and well integrated development composed of manufacturing, trade, commerce and finance. Here also are educational facilities covering all fields. Few cities in the World offer finer or more diversified educational opportunities. San Francisco Bay discovered in 1769 and first ship entered harbor 1775, in 1776 Franciscan fathers founded Laguna de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores (Mission Dolores); first actual settlement in 1835 (Yerba Buena trading post). Though the city's history dates back to founding of the nation, the commercial and residential areas are relatively new having been built since the great fire in 1906. San Francisco is surrounded on three sides by waters of the Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate, and San Francisco Bay; its transportation system including , transcontinental rail and highway facilities, air transportation services, and steamships that traverse the great waterways of the world. San Francisco is noted for its bohemian cafes, its great hotels, its 53 parks, including mamoth Golden Gate Park, its Cliff House on the ocean front, its clubs and theaters, its presidio -- military headquarters -- its Chinatown, and its Fisherman's Warf. 17 1/2 miles of berthing space in harbor. Two of the foremost bridges in the world, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge -- the largest -- and the Golden Gate Bridge -- the longest single suspension span in the world, 4200 feet -- have tied together San Francisco and the other major communities in the Bay Area into one compact social and economic metropolitan area. Also on S. P.; W. P.; and N. W. P. Rys.
Tulare, Calif. (means "place of rushes or tulles, reeds") -- Alt. 283; pop. 8,283. Industries: dairying, poultry, pure-bred stock; table and raisin grapes; deciduous fruits, alfalfa and cotton. Sequoia and General Grant National Parks, 66 miles east. When General Fremont camped here, in 1847, was inhabited by Kaweah Indians. Also on S. P. Ry.
Visalia, Calif. (name derived from family name "Vise") -- Alt. 334; pop. 9,000. County seat Tulare County. Gateway to General Grant and Sequoia National parks, Kings River Canyon, Kern River Canyon, Giant forest of Big Trees and Mount Whitney district of High Sierras. City was incorporated 1855. Important dairying and livestock center. Fruit raising and canning most important industry. One cannery has annual output 5,000,000 cans of fruit; dried fruit packing plant, annual output 3,000,000 pounds prunes; two green fruit packing houses. Also on S. P. Ry.
Cutler, Calif. (named after California pioneer, Judge John Cutler.) -- Alt. 360; pop. 510. Chief industry, fruit raising -- 1,500 tons raisins handled yearly, besides 250 carloads table grapes. Extensive orchards, figs, plums, peaches and oranges. Daily stage, in season, for King's Canyon National Park passes through General Grant Grove and Nation's Xmas Tree, by auto or saddle horses. Junction point, Santa Fe branch to Minkler and Piedra.
Sultana, Calif. (name for Sultana grapes) -- Alt. 362; pop. 450. Heart of fruit belt -- raisin grapes, table grapes, peaches, figs, apricots and oranges. Fruit ripens very early here. One large winery.
Dinuba, Calif. -- Alt. 345; pop. 3,783. Santa Fe station for Dinuba, in Alta irrigation district. 5 grape and 2 dried fruit packing houses, olive cannery. Also on S. P. Ry.
Reedley, Calif. (named for Thomas Law Reed, an early settler) -- Alt. 347; pop. 3,311. Kings River crossed just north of town. Country devoted to fruit growing, wine industry and dairying. Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, Kings River Canyon reached from here. Also on S. P. Ry.
Parlier, Calif. (named for N. Parlier, founder of town) -- Alt. 346; pop. 564. Green and dried fruit belt. Green and dried fruit packing houses.
Del Rey, Calif. (Spanish, means "of the king") -- Alt. 344; pop. 800. Dried fruit industry, peaches apricots, figs prunes; three raisin packing houses -- ship 15,000 tons annually. Auto trips to High Sierra and Kings Canyon National Park start from here. Honey plant located here ships 500 tons annually.