First Transcontinental Railroad - Rocklin

The first freight the Central Pacific ever moved was three carloads of the stone this plaque is bolted to. Rocklin granite, pulled by the engine Governor Stanford. The railroad reached here twenty-two miles out from Sacramento in May 1864 and built a major locomotive terminal, because trains going over the Sierra had to be cut into two sections at this point in order to get up the grade. The terminal moved on to Roseville on 18 April 1908.

What the plaque says

FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD ROCKLIN CENTRAL PACIFIC REACHED ROCKLIN, 22 MILES FROM ITS SACRAMENTO TERMINUS, IN MAY, 1864, WHEN THE RAILROAD ESTABLISHED A MAJOR LOCOMOTIVE TERMINAL HERE. TRAINS MOVING OVER THE SIERRA WERE GENERALLY CUT IN TWO SECTIONS AT THIS POINT IN ORDER TO ASCEND THE GRADE. THE FIRST CP FREIGHT MOVEMENT WAS THREE CARLOADS OF ROCKLIN GRANITE PULLED BY THE ENGINE "GOVERNOR STANFORD". THE TERMINAL WAS MOVED TO ROSEVILLE APRIL 18, 1908. CALIFORNIA REGISTERED HISTORICAL LANDMARK NO. 780-2 PLAQUE PLACED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION IN COOPERATION WITH THE CONFERENCE OF CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETIES AND THE PLACER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. MAY 9, 1969

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park — 19 mi
  The tailrace at Coloma where a carpenter found gold in January 1848 and the world came running.
• Sacramento — 20 mi
  The Gold Rush river port that became the state capital, and jacked itself ten feet into the air to stop drowning.

More markers nearby

• First Transcontinental Railroad - Roseville — 3.8 mi
• Griffith Quarry — 5.7 mi
• Pioneer Express Trail — 5.8 mi
• Virginiatown — 7.6 mi