Game Over Given how rapidly railroads have been expanding over the previous 50 years, it's astonishing how quickly the enthusiasm fades. New lines (in GREEN) crisscross Oklahoma, but only because it's the last tract of farmland left to be developed at the edge of the prairie. A few new rail lines are also added in the South and West, but almost none anywhere else.

	Silver in the Hills The prairie ends abruptly at Denver, which sits at the base of the great Rocky Mountains extending from Canada almost to Mexico. Few people attempt farming in the mountainous region beyond Denver, but there are great opportunities below the ground. Silver is king in Colorado, often mixed with some gold, and sprinkled widely elsewhere (WHITE dots). But each of these mining locations is quite small. There might be a dozen mine shafts within a few miles of each other, but nothing else for many miles.
	Vital Irrigation The California economy barely exists outside San Francisco and Los Angeles, although major irrigation canals are just beginning to appear in the central Sacramento Valley region. Wheat farmers and ranchers are still struggling with periodic droughts and floods, and many big landowners are in debt. Irrigation will soon allow more stable fruit and nut farms, which are much smaller and thus more manageable. Almond tree plantations are already appearing in the northern valley. Today, they are immense.