Everywhere West
California Excursions of the
Burlington Route.
Chicago: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, 1886
Rare Book & Special Collections
Division (133.16)
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By 1886 the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy had forged an operating
system of 4,000 miles of rail track connecting Chicago to the Pacific
coast via the Burlington Route. Earnings from passenger service
increased, due in part to growing interest in train travel. The
CB&Q Passenger Department's publication program of promotional
literature and tourist guidebooks capitalized on contemporary fascination
with the Orient. This travel advertisement utilizes traditional
Japanese themes to tempt travelers to choose a California excursion
as the initial link to the Far East. The reference to the Mikado's
uncle may have been inspired by the popular Gilbert and Sullivan
opera The Mikado, which premiered in London in 1885.
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