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| Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, | D.C. 20540 |
California fascinated Lincoln, and his plan to build a transcontinental railroad made the west coast of America more accessible to residents in the east and midwest. He had two conversations about California on April 14, 1865, one with his wife and one with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salmon Chase. Chase planned to visit the Golden State soon, and Lincoln wanted him to thank the miners for their important work that helped the Union pay for the war effort.
A few weeks earlier, Lincoln told another friend: “I have long desired to see California; the production of her gold mines has been a marvel to me, and her stand for the Union, her generous offerings to the Sanitary Commission, and her loyal representatives have endeared your people to me; and nothing would give me more pleasure than a visit to the Pacific shore, and to say in person to your citizens, ‘God bless you for your devotion to the Union,’ but the unknown is before us. I may say, however, that I have it now in purpose when the railroad is finished, to visit your wonderful state.”
For more information on Lincoln and California, click here. Lincoln's California legacy is documented on a site from the California state parks that coincided with the bicentennial celebration of his birth in 2009.
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