A Super Modoc Route?

Screenshot detail from the David Rumsey Map Collection.

From the map: "Map of the Route of the Southern Continental R.R. - With Connections from Kansas City" by William Jackson Palmer, 1869. A map to show the route of the A&P across the Southwest, also shows a route off of the Central Pacific near Winnemucca, Nevada to Portland, Oregon. According to the map's notes, this line was proposed by Grenville Dodge. I don't think this proposed route was the result of any serious railroad survey, but was just drawn in, so to speak. The proposed line is drawn across the Cascades next to the Middle Fork of the Willamette, which agrees with todays Pengra Pass route, but you notice that Salt Creek is not shown. Also notice that the route through the Willamette Valley completely avoids all of the population centers except for Oregon City. If such a line had been built, one has to wonder how that would have affected the building of UP's Oregon Shortline, and Oregon Railway and Navigation routes to Oregon.

"JDB" on Altamont Press, posted this very interesting comment about Bynon Johns Pengra.