Walter Borneman talked about his book Rival Rails: The Race to Build America’s Greatest Transcontinental Railroad. Before the Civil War the most logical route for the planned transcontinental railroad was across the southern plains and the Southwest. For reasons more political than economic, the more northerly route was selected, and the two strands were joined at Promontory Point, Utah, in 1868. Then the competition began for the rights to build a web of lines across the southern, less snowy, route and a shorter link between the growing cities of Los Angeles and Chicago. He showed slides during his presentation, and afterward responded to questions from members of the audience.