About

Terminus, Arizona - This had many locations across the state of Arizona. Simply stated , Terminus was the name given to the various track terminuses of the Southern Pacific Railroad as it was built across Arizona.

How does this apply to Casa Grande? Some history of railroads in Arizona is necessary. In 1871, the Texas and Pacific Railroad Co. was authorized to build from Marshall, Texas to San Diego, California and at' about the same time, the Southern Pacific Co. obtained permission to build to the Colorado River at Yuma from the west.

Southern Pacific arrived at the river opposite Yuma May 20, 1877 - only to have to wait until September 29 - when the bridge across the Colorado was finished.

Since Arizona was a terri¬tory, the government 10 Washington refused entry into Arizona until proper charters were obtained right-of-way defined, etc.

The Texas and Pacific Co. had made no progress in constructing their part of the line, so the Southern Pacific Co. secured a charter and had the building ban lifted. Work was resumed Novem¬ber 19, 1878. At this time a large number of Chinese workers were used.

In the year 1879 the tracks advanced until the desert heat became too much for the working crews. And May 19, 1879 a point was reached about where the present town of Casa Grande is located. Work was stopped for the duration of the hot weather and that point became and remained "Terminus" for some time.

The resulting town was called Casa Grande from the nearby' 'Great House" pre¬historic Indian ruins. The Casa Grande Post Office was established September 10, 1881.

The traveling post office or Terminus moved on and can be traced as far as the ar¬rival of the Southern Pacific in Tucson in 1880.

On May 19, 1881, the Southern Pacific reached EI Paso and connected with the Texas and Pacific opening the southern Continental route almost four years to the day from the time it reached the Colorado River.

Collectors of covers of en-velopes with postmarks doc¬ument many happenings in our country's colorful past. H. H. Longfellow of Flagstaff is a cover collector who specializes in Arizona covers particularly the territorial days. He has one post card in particular with the Terminus stamp on one side and the Casa Grande location on the other side. The cancellation does not carry the year ¬but it must have been 1879 - since the railroad arrived in Casa Grande in that year. So Terminus, Arizona wasn't really a town. It was a traveling post office. Litigations and disagreements with the Texas and Pacific Railroad kept the Post Office in Casa Grande for several months.

Apparently freight ship¬ments for Tucson were billed to Maricopa at the time this card was written, forwarded to Terminus by mail, and then hauled by wagon to Tucson.

In this interior photograph of the Southern Pacific Depot, the office staff and latest equipment attest to the fact of the railroad's efficiency. Pictured in this 1910 picture are, left to right, Arthur Elliott and Paul Hobby. Note leather puttees worn by Elliott and the latest model typewriter at the roll top desk.