At the turn of the century Montana senator and entrepreneur William A. Clark began making plans for a railroad connecting Los Angeles, California with Salt Lake City, Utah. The Union Pacific Railroad also wanted to develop a Salt Lake Los Angeles route, and the two enterprises resolved their differences in 1903 with an agreement on joint ownership of the proposed railroad. Clark came into control of Union Pacific Railroad subsidiaries in Utah, known as the Oregon Short Line, and began construction. The tracks reached the site of Las Vegas, Nevada. from Utah in October 1904 and from California in January 1905. The town of Las Vegas was founded as a division point on the railroad; the townsite was surveyed and lots auctioned on May 15, 1905. The railroad established the Las Vegas Land and Water Company to administer the townsite utilities. The railroad operated until 1921 when Clark sold his interest to the Union Pacific Railroad and retired.
From the description of San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad Collection. 1905-1976. (University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 300493430
