In the previous lecture, we covered how railroading came to Southern Oregon. This time, attempts will be made to put our nail in history in a wider perspective highlighting the post-Civil War transcontinental railroad construction and its implications to opening the American west. Moreover, a century later, the progression from railroads to the automobile and then aviation.

“My name is Robert Hirning, and having attained the ripe age of 80, I can even remember the age of steam from childhood when it all began. My father and cousin were inveterate train riders and often took me along on adventures, sparking a lifelong desire to ride the rails. In adulthood I crossed the continent by train over 25 times, covered most states in Mexico and Canadian provinces, and a twelve-day journey across Siberia. In the 1970s I hopped more than a few freight trains across the western states.”

Cost: Free to all