culture

Oregon Historical Photo: Southern Pacific's Expansion To The West Coast

By Jo Mancuso (OPB)
Dec. 14, 2015 2 p.m.

Every week, Oregon Experience shares a photo highlighting the state's diverse, exciting history.

Expansion of the Southern Pacific Railroad into Oregon in the late 19th century brought population growth and development. But SP mail cars – carrying payroll, cash and even gold – proved a popular target. Minor and major train robberies took place all over the state.

In 1923, three brothers held up a San Francisco-bound train near Southern Oregon's Siskiyou Summit outside Ashland. They left four dead but fled apparently empty-handed. The so-called "Last Great Train Holdup" sparked one of the nation's largest manhunts and helped establish modern criminal forensics.
 
Watch the Oregon Experience documentary "Murder on the Southern Pacific" to learn about the state's deadliest, most infamous train holdup.

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This series is in partnership with The Oregon Historical Society

This series is in partnership with The Oregon Historical Society

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: