File:Southern Pacific RR 1872.jpg

English: Stock certificate of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company for 1,000 shares of $100 each, issued in Marshall, Texas on 16 February 1872, registered to its President Thomas A. Scott.

Manual of the Railroads of the United States 1877-78, by Henry V. Poor, pp. 673-676:

"... The Southern Pacific R. R. Co. is a consolidation (October 12, 1870,) of the following companies : Southern Pacific, chartered December 2, 1865 ; San Francisco and San Jose, chartered April 7, 1870 ; Santa Clara and Pajaro Valley, chartered January 2, 1868 ; and California Southern, chartered January 22, 1870. The Southern Pacific Branch R. R. Co., chartered December 23, 1872, was consolidated in the Southern Pacific August 19, 1873 ; and the Los Angeles and San Pedro R. R. Co., chartered February 18, 1868, was consolidated therein December 18, 1874. The total length of all these lines forming the Southern Pacific Railroad, as now constructed and in progress, is 1,223 miles. By the Act of Congress, passed March 3, 1871, to incorporate the Texas and Pacific R. R. Co., the Southern Pacific R. R. Co. was authorized to connect with the latter road at Fort Yuma, so as to provide a through line to San Francisco, public lands being granted in aid thereof. At the recent session of Congress, a bill amending the former, and allowing the Southern Pacific R. R. Co. to continue its line eastward across Arizona and New Mexico, about 500 miles, to a point 100 miles west of El Paso, and fixing that as the point of junction of the two roads, was reported, each company to acquire the lands and franchises for so much as it constructed. The bill also proposed a guarantee by the United States of the interest on the 5 per cent, bonds of the com�panies at the rate of $35,000 per mile for the term of 50 years. Final action is yet to be taken upon it. In the meantime, to complete at the earliest practicable day the through, connection by the 32d parallel, the Southern Pacific R. R. Co. has obtained legislative authority from Arizona to construct its road through that Territory ..."