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Re: (rshsdepot) land grant myths
While it's true that the ex-SP had some valuable land grants they had
plenty of worthless ones, particularly those inherited from the Central
Pacific. But the point is that their total return from the totality of
their grants (and the other land-grant railroads) was less than the
discounts that they gave the U.S. government. Furthermore, society as a
whole benefited (and still does) from rail transportation.
Norm Metcalf, Boulder Colorado
luckyshow_@_mindspring.com wrote:
> tell the ex-SP about worthless land grants
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
>> From: Norm Metcalf <n.metcalf_@_worldnet.att.net>
>> Sent: Apr 15, 2008 1:16 PM
>> To: rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net
>> Subject: (rshsdepot) land grant myths
>>
>> It's a myth that the railroads were given land grants free and clear.
>> They were an advance against future growth and rebates to the government
>> for passenger and freight. Gross' book made the case that the value of
>> the reduced rates to the government was far greater than the value of
>> the land. Furthermore, many of the land grants are still worthless.
>> Norm Metcalf, Boulder Colorado
>> =================================
>>
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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