Wikimedia Commons/Marty Bernard
The Big Four’s $62 Million Railroad Empire
Four Sacramento shopkeepers changed America forever in 1861. They put up $15,000 each after engineer Theodore Judah sold them on his railroad dream.
The government then handed them a sweet deal – up to $48,000 per mile in bonds plus 6,400 acres of land for each mile of track.
When Judah died in 1863, the “Big Four” took full control. They hired 12,000 Chinese workers who built most of the line until its famous golden spike moment in 1869…