North America

McCallum’s railroad journey across America (1900)

North America Travels

Robert McCallum was intrigued by America. He traversed it by train on more than one occasion and spent considerable time in California where he lived earlier between the ages of 10 and 13.

He visited friends, explored the towns, and opined about many things. He was impressed by the scale, the buildings, and the American industry. Other things in the U.S. however irked him. He recorded many details and some idiosyncratic observations.

Towns And Cities He Visited

In the USA, McCallum records traveling to cities, regional towns, and remote rural outposts:

Bermont, Boulder Creek Canyon, Brooklyn, Chicago, Decatur, Denver, Detroit, Felton, Gilroy, Glenwood, Grand Junction, Great American Desert, Harrisburg, Honolulu, Kansas City, Kinsman, Los Angeles, Los Gatos, Minneapolis, Missouri River, Monterey, New York, Niagara, Oakland, Ogden, Pacific Grove, Palo Alto, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Point Lobos, Port Hartford, Ransom, Riverside, Sacramento, Salinas, Salt Lake, San Benito County, San Francisco, San Jose, San Pedro, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, St Louis, St Paul, St. Joseph, Streator, Tres Pinos, Truckee, Vernon, Wabash, Waikiki, Wathora, Watsonville.

Canada: McCallum ventured across the Pacific Ocean to Canada in 1911. From there he traveled eastwards across the country by train. He records traveling to the following towns: Banff, Brandon, Calgary, Cheadle, Furicana, Keoma, Stratham, Vancouver, Victoria BC, Winnipeg.

Early on he was robbed, between Vancouver and Calgary.  “Got a berth from the nigger & think it was then I lost my writing case, diaries, and papers.”  This explains why there are no diary entries for the first 8 months of his 1911 diary.

He also purchased land – raw prairie lots near Calgary. This speaks volumes about the man. Consider the logistics and audacity of buying land in another country over a hundred years ago.

Places Of Interest He Explored:

  • American Busch Brewery
  • Hotel Royal Banff
  • Borers (which eat out wood)
  • Brooklyn Bridge
  • California (splendid but drawbacks)
  • Chicago Post Office
  • Earthquakes
  • Favorite house (1350 Ave)
  • Flees
  • Fogs (on the coast)
  • Folly Theatre (Canada)
  • Golden Gate Park
  • Gophers & coyotes
  • Great stockyards
  • Hotel Royal Banff
  • Lincoln Park
  • Motor Car factory
  • Poison Oak
  • Presidio
  • Rocky Mountains
  • Sears Roebuck & Co Building
  • Slaughter operations (Swift & Co)
  • Stanford University
  • Unseasonable frosts (ruins crops)
  • Vancouver (a lovely place)
Journey to California (1900)
Journey across Canada & Amercia (1911)

Railway Log

McCallum kept a detailed record of his railway travels across the USA.

His 1900 log documents him starting in New York Central and finishing in Los Angeles. He notes stations, railroads as well as distances in miles from point to point.

Quirky observations

McCallum was also slightly eccentric. See his thoughtful and idiosyncratic comments about California recorded at the back of his 1900 diary.