Wilmington-based shipping magnate Phineas Banning envisioned that community as a potential site for the western terminus of the transcontinental railroad.
Imagining the Los Angeles of 1870 takes some mental gymnastics. The city then had a population of 5,728, and transportation consisted of horse-drawn vehicles operating on dirt roads. It was far from the sprawling metropolis it would become even 30 short years later, when its population topped 100,000.
As early as 1853, he had envisioned Wilmington as a potential site for the western terminus of the transcontinental railroad. As a first step, he pushed legislation calling for a new railroad linking Wilmington to Los Angeles, but a bill codifying Banning’s idea bogged down in Congress and never became law. Repeated attempts to pass similar laws during the 1860s also failed.
In 1867, he tried again. This time, he did his best to drum up support for the new railroad among local political leaders and prominent businessmen before introducing the bill. Under its provisions, Los Angeles County would buy $150,000 in stock in the railroad, with the city of L.A. buying $75,000 worth.
On October 26, 1869, the railroad officially began operations, welcoming an estimated 1500 passengers who got free rides along its 21-mile length on its first day. The day concluded with a giant gala ball held at the new railroad’s Los Angeles station. The line’s two trains began running on a regular schedule on November 1. Passengers paid $1.50 each way; dry freight cost $6 a ton, and groceries, $5 a ton.
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