NY State Workerman’s Compensation Bd.
This is what the site of the Bull’s Head looks like today
Southern Pacific Railroad
At the same time he was president of the SP, which evolved out of the Central Pacific Railroad, Stanford used his high political office to squeeze millions out of taxpayers for his train company
Cazenovia College portrait
Stanford donated this portrait of himself to Cazenovia in upper NY state. It was one of three schools he either dropped out of (or was expelled from). He never graduated from any. The portrait is the only gift he ever gave any of them
Former Stanford University mascot
Stanford’s time as governor was marked by massacres, kidnappings, rapes, and child enslavements of Native Americans in California. This former college mascot was dropped in the 1970s
Pacific Railroad Commission reports
The 1887 Congressional investigation uncovering one of the greatest scandals in US history – engineered by Stanford & co. – ran 5400 pages. The astonishing conclusions were another 217 pages
Official Gov. Leland Stanford portrait
The official portrait of California Gov. Stanford is the rare picture in which he is almost grinning, or at the very minimum, has a hint of happiness. It was, however, painted a dozen years later when the whisper of a smile had long died on his lips
Del Monte resort hotel
Mimicking great European spas, the railroad – mostly through Chas. Crocker – created the Del Monte in Monterey. He died there some years later. Today, a rebuilt version is on the Naval Postgraduate School grounds
Vina ranch ad
The largest winery in the world, Stanford’s vintages largely failed and he was forced to distill them into medicinal brandy. The ranch lost money year after year and was eventually sold piece by parcel
Site of Port Washington, Wisconsin office
This is what stands today on the site of Stanford’s pivotal moment in life: Where his office stood when it burned to the ground in 1852
Bull’s Head tavern
The backwoods bar in what is today’s Albany NY where Leland Stanford was born on March 9, 1824
Wreck of the Independence
The wooden two-deck steamer took Leland Stanford to California from Central America in 1852. Seven months later it had a horrific burning and sinking, losing some 200 people
Truckee tunnel
One of the long tunnels hewn right out of the Sierra granite, mostly by hand and black powder, by the Chinese railroad workers. Today, it’s a favorite local destination (by teenagers)
Political cartoon
Publications such as San Francisco’s The WASP, caricatured the growing monopoly of Stanford’s railroad, which some compared to an octopus
California Governor Seal
During his single, two-year term as governor, Stanford found ways to borrow a fortune in taxpayer money for himself and means to launder the money, intending to not pay it back
Stanford mansion in Sacramento
Immediately after being elected governor and being appointed head of the Central Pacific Railroad Stanford bought this Sacramento mansion. Today it is a state park and open to visitors
Road to Promontory
Today you can drive to Promontory Summit where the two transcontinental rail lines converged. The drive, northwest of Salt Lake City, is a fine desert ramble