After the completion of the transcontinental railroad (with the driving of the "golden spike" in 1869) the railroads proliferated pretty quickly. I have doubts about covered wagons crossing the Oregon Trail as late as 1914 (but you're welcome to convince me). Automobiles were in pretty widespread use by then, weren't they? My grandfather was killed while loading horses into a boxcar in Montana in 1906, shipping them for overseas delivery in the Boer War. The following dates are taken from a "Railroad History" web site at: http://www.sdrm.org/history/timeline/ 1869: The Central Pacific and Union Pacific meet at Promontory Summit, Utah for the driving of the golden spike on May 10th. 1883: The Northern Pacific is completed at Gold Creek, Montana. 1883: The Southern Pacific is completed. 1885: The Santa Fe is completed. 1893: The Great Northern is completed in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. The following sites have 1891 maps of both the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern. The maps are big, so they take a few minutes to load. Very interesting! The 1891 Grain Dealers and Shippers Gazetteer Northern Pacific Railroad Route Map 1891 http://www.livgenmi.com/1891shippersgaznp.htm The 1891 Grain Dealers and Shippers Gazetteer Great Northern Railroad Route Map 1891 http://www.livgenmi.com/1891shippersgazgn.htm Marilyn Schwartz Bellingham, WA (Note to Shirley: My Welsh great-great-grandparents came to Pomeroy, WA, around 1880. I'd have to look up dates and I'm too tired right now.)