Golf in the Gilded Age:
Robber Barons, Railroads, and Resort Hotels
5: Railroads and Resort Hotels
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American golf had its birth in the Gilded Age (1870s-1890s),
and by the close of the 19th century the United States had more golf
courses than Britain. This start is inextricably intertwined with the
dominant Tycoons of the day, and this in turn entangles the foundation
of golf in America with the expansion of their railroads and their associated
Grand Hotels in exclusive resort locations.
From 1900 to the advent of WWII, golf in America added
sinew and muscle on this underlying frame to make the Resort golf experience
truly spectacular and widely accessible outside the echelons of elite
society. The enduring legacy has been that the popularization of golf
in America is indelibly stamped with the watermark of excellence set
by these fabulous early Resorts.
RAILROADS & RESORTS
 J.
Central Pacific Railroad - Gold Rush California
Founded with support of Abraham Lincoln in 1862, the Central
Pacific was owned and operated by the "Big Four" of California
and was the west-to-east half of the Transcontinental Railroad, the
Union Pacific from Omaha Nebraska being the east-to-west half that met
at Promonotory Point Utah in April 1869. The Central Pacific system
was eventually absorbed into the Southern Pacific RR and later still
into the Union Pacific.
Central Pacific 1864 - San Francisco thru Sierras to Virginia
City Nevada. Transpacific steamers at SF.
American Overland Route 1881
Union Pacific from Omaha to Utah, Central Pacific from San Francisco
to Utah - the Transcontinental Railroad (completed 1869)
Coast to Coast, connecting with transoceanic steamers
from NYC to Europe and from San Francisco to the Orient.
Central Pacific Dining Car ca. 1884
Central Pacific Locomotive #1 The Governor Stanford
Central Pacific Locomotive #3 the CP Huntington
American Express Co., Forward Merchandise and Money 1853
(early version of Wells Fargo)
Central Pacific Pullman Palace Car ca 1880s
Central Pacific VP Thomas Durant (seated second from right)
with other officers in an executive car.
San Francisco Palace Hotel (opened October 1875) (picture
1887).
Palace Hotel today (2004)
Palace Hotel Ballroom 1925
Palace Hotel Billiards Room 1880s
Palace Hotel Courtyard 1880s
Palace Hotel Courtyard top level 1880s
Palace Hotel ca 1880s
The fabulous Palace Hotel in central San Francisco was
built by the Central California Bank's William Chapman Ralston and opened
in October 1875 as the greatest hotel in America, to accommodate the
passengers of the Central Pacific Railroad and the transoceanic steamers.
WHEN the Central Pacific railroad was completed, linking,
with its rails of steel, the East to the West, the need of accommodations
suitable for the travelers of rank and wealth who visited San Francisco
was at once apparent. From this need the Palace Hotel sprang into being
in 1875 -- almost a half-century ago. When the last spike -- a golden
one -- had been driven in the transcontinental railroad the West became
the Mecca for adventurous souls, the land of golden promises, the most
fascinating spot in the world. The original Palace Hotel was planned
and built by William C. Ralston, one of the picturesque figures of the
early days of California. With his far-seeing judgment, he planned to
make the Palace the greatest hostelry in America and when opened on
October 2, 1875, it was universally conceded to be absolutely unequaled.
Palace
Hotel History, Central Pacific RR Museum
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