A story of building the rails across the Sierra Nevada of California, through the deserts of Nevada, and upon the salt flats of Utah to meet the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory Point, Utah May 10, 1869. The book contains two essays written for a magazine by Mr. Nordhoff (not to be confused with his son, Charles Nordhoff, of The Bounty Series fame) and some CPRR newspaper advertisements. The book is a nice potted history, a valuable part of the American story. ( )