Some stories one just can’t make up … and this is one of them.

 

C.P. Huntington made his way to California’s Gold Rush via Panama. There he commandeered a ship on its way to San Francisco. Deciding against mining, he chose to sell miners shovels and supplies and became rich but not wealthy.

 

Huntington met Theodore Judah, a young civil engineer, who had a bold plan to build railroad tracks over the Sierra Nevada’s - a feat thought impossible.

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Huntington and Judah along with Stanford, Hopkins, and Crocker formed the Central Pacific Railroad.

 

Judah's vision and expertise led to the building of the railroad over the Sierra Nevada's.   However,  most don’t know of Judah's important role in railroad history as Huntington forced him out of the company.

 

After the Central Pacific and Union Pacific met in Utah to create the first transcontinental railroad in1869, Huntington was in Richmond, VA scouting to buy to new railroads.  In Richmond, Huntington, age 48, met 19 year old  Arabella,  He concocted a plan to bring her to NYC to be his mistress.  She gave birth to their son Archer.   

 

Several years later, Huntington’s wife died and he married Arabella. He adopted Archer. C.P. and Arabella were together for almost 30 years …with Arabella happily spending C.P. Huntington’s massive fortunate primarily on real estate and art.

 

Upon C.P.’s death in 1900, Arabella became the richest widow in the U.S. … and, even at age 50, undoubtedly the prettiest.

 

Only one suitor emerged as the front runner to win the widow’s hand. That was C.P. Huntington’s nephew and right hand man in his railroad empire, Henry Huntington about the same age as Arabella.

 

Although Henry was unsuccessful in his efforts to buy C.P. Huntington’s vast empire, he found financial success in real estate by creating the Los Angeles interurban railroad network that brought home buyers to places like Huntington Beach.

 

Henry was so enamored with Arabella, he divorced his wife to pursue her full time with the mantra: “With your husband’s inheritance and the profits from my railroad and real estate, we can do great things together”.

 

Finally, 13 years after C.P.’s death, Arabella married Henry.

 

They spent 11 years as a married couple, although they had dated several years before they married.

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Yes,

 

they did something great together!