"Clauston born, died because of rail"

"Clauston born, died because of rail" by James McAndrews Jr., © The Modesto Bee, Feb. 04, 2012. (Article)

"The Central Valley is dotted with towns founded by railroads. These towns became focal points for local farmers who wanted to get their crops to market faster and cheaper. The first wave of these railroad-created towns came in the early 1870s when the Central Pacific Railroad founded a string of towns along its line, including Modesto. In the 1890s, another wave of new towns began. One of them was located midway between Riverbank and Empire — the town of Clauston. On April 14, 1896, Clauston was founded on a parcel of land bought by two businessmen. ... " [More]

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