Early Statehood: 1850 – 1880s: Railroads Tie California to the Rest of the Nation
Click image to zoom in.Or view larger version. Entering Black Hills, Carmichael's Cut, Granite Canyon. 1868. Andrew J. Russell, photographer. Imperial collodion glass plate negative. Collection of Oakland Museum of California. ACCN # H69.459.1845.
A railroad cut or cutting is the right-of-way cut through a hill so the rail track can lie relatively flat.