One hundred forty years ago, four men rose from their position as
middle-class merchants in Sacramento, California, to become the force
behind the transcontinental railroad. In the course of doing so, they
became wealthy beyond any measure--and to sustain their power, they
lied, bribed, wheedled, and, when necessary, arranged for obstacles,
both human and legal, to disappear. Their names were Collis Huntington,
Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins, and they were known
as "The Big Four" or "The Associates." Their drive for money--nothing
more, nothing less--was epic. Their legacy is a university, public
gardens, museums, mansions, banks, and libraries--and to a large degree
California itself, a state that even today owes its aura of "can-do" and
limitless possibilities to The Associates.