World War I troop train
November 4, 2009 – 1:15 pm
In 1916 railroad traffic for troops and supplies was coordinated over all rail lines by the Military Railway Service or MRS.
A little over ninety years ago the United States was on the way to becoming a world power. The nation had been involved in previous conflicts externally against Mexico and Spain. Between those wars it had fought internally in a Civil War. Since colonial times, westward expansion brought settlers in conflict with Native American tribes.
By the late 1910’s those battles had been fought, the nation’s commercial interests had been tied together by rail and the Panama Canal. Until this time America had largely avoided becoming entangled in European wars but now was involved.
Rail traffic would play a key role in troop movements during World War I. At the time roads were little more than pathetic trails, and the oil industry was still emerging. Good luck finding a gas station in much of the rural west. The roads were so poor during the 1919 Transcontinental Convoy a youthful lieutenant colonel, Dwight D. Eisenhower took note. It took 62 days to move a convoy of 297 men and over 50 vehicles from Washinton D.C. to San Francisco. Barely 6 miles per hour. I think the Donner party made better time than that. Until the end that is. The interstate highway system would be a major legacy of the Eisenhower presidency in the 1950’s.
Four of my top ten list of monster trends impacting the Central Coast were in place and two more would be established within a decade. By 1918 the Missions, railroad, oil and Cal Poly were all a reality or developing. Hearst Castle would start construction in 1919. Camp San Luis Obispo would be opened July 4, 1928. Temporary army camps had been established in Edna (1901) and Pismo & Atascadero (1904)
Here is my complete top list if you missed it. Nominate your entries in the comments.
- Missions founded – The central coast is on the European map, literally
- Trains – The iron horse flattens the earth, brings the first tourists
- Oil boom – Unocal, Chevron, et al and their predecessors bring international industry here
- Cal Poly established – No longer an uneducated cow county
- Hearst Castle – One of the world’s most opulent homes becomes major tourist attraction
- Army camps and World War II – Thousands of trainees introduced to Central Coast, many settle or retire here after the war.
- Freeways built – Guadalupe got the railroad, Santa Maria got the freeway. Which town’s bigger?
- Prisons – California Mens Colony, Atascadero State Hospital and California Youth Authority pump millions in recession proof payroll and construction into the local economy
- Power Plants – Morro Bay and Diablo Canyon boosted the tax base for local education and government in addition to construction and payroll. Any time you pour a few billion dollars into a county things change.
- Internet – You’re using it now aren’t you? I rest my case
In honor of Veteran’s Day, which grew out of the First World War’s Armistice Day there will be a series of daily posts this week on World War I.
3 Responses to “World War I troop train”
But where was the photo taken? This doesn’t look like the station area. I would suggest it was taken around the bend at the old station that used to be by Higueria.
By Steven Lester on Nov 5, 2009
My list is very similar to this one, but I can’t help but stress the overwhelming importance of the first few:
1. MISSIONS
They brought western civilization from Europe, and gave birth to El Camino Real, which forever joined the area to the rest of California and the world.
2. PORT HARFORD PIER AND THE PACIFIC COAST RAILROAD
Can’t have one without the other. This dynamic duo linked the county’s earliest post-mission-era settlers to the rest of the state, advancing trade and communication with the outside world. For the first time, for example, produce grown in the Edna valley could be sold and shipped outside the county. Without these two features, would the area have ever settled more than, say, Jolon?
3. SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
The completion of the SP line finally spelled the end of stagecoaches and steamships for getting people, goods or news into or out of the county.
4. CAL POLY
Unquestionably provided a huge, positive impact on the county. Would it have been founded without the SP? I sincerely doubt it.
5. OIL
Unquestionably put the county on the map economically. Even without #2 or #3, the value of the county’s oil resources would have produced some kind of rail or harbor link to the world markets eventually.
6. HIGHWAYS
Indeed, without US-101, the county would be something like San Juan Bautista, but with a University. And without El Camino Real, I suspect there never would have been a US-101.
…
I thought #10 should be FIBER, not INTERNET.
10. FIBER
Not the agricultural variety, the telecommunications kind. There’s an incredible amount of information flow through the county. The AT&T trans-pacific cable pops up just off Los Osos Valley Road. And there’s that SP railroad again: Their SPRINT unit began as Southern Pacific Railroad Inernal? Network Telecommunications, first with microwave relays along their rights-of-way, followed by fiber optic cable. I’m not sure how much the county benefits from all this network connectivity economically, but it’s probably not small.
–MrBill
By Bill Standley on Nov 6, 2009
Thanks for the comment Bill.
You make a solid point on Fiber. Photos from the Vault has documented the two story underground building on Los Osos Valley road.
By David Middlecamp on Nov 7, 2009