Fred T. Perris facts for kids

Fred Thomas Perris (born January 2, 1837 – died May 12, 1916) was a very important engineer who helped build many railroads in the United States. He was the Chief Engineer for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, a major train company. He oversaw the building of a key part of the second transcontinental railroad. This huge project involved six thousand workers! This train route, which goes through Cajon Pass to San Bernardino, California and Los Angeles, is still used today by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Fred Perris also planned train tracks from Riverside, California to San Diego. As he built the tracks, he also planned new towns along the way. One of these towns, Perris, California, was named in his honor.

Early Life and Learning

Fred Thomas Perris was born in Gloucester, England, in 1837. When he was 12, his family moved to Australia. There, he became an apprentice to an architect, learning how to design buildings and machines.

At age 16, he moved again with his mother and sisters to a settlement in San Bernardino, California. He got a job helping to survey and map out the new city. He was a "chain boy," which meant he helped measure distances with a long chain.

Later, he went back to England. While he was there, he learned about the new technology of photography. When he returned to America with his wife, he tried to work as a photographer in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Career Highlights

Working in Utah

In 1863, when he was 26, Fred Perris was hired to survey land for a new city in Idaho. It was first named Perris, but later changed to Paris. This job led him to survey a route for the very first Transcontinental Railroad across Utah.

He also helped start a newspaper called The Salt Lake Tribune. This newspaper is now the biggest one in Utah! Fred Perris ran the paper for two years. In 1874, he decided to leave the newspaper and moved back to San Bernardino, California. He lived there for the rest of his life.

Building Southern California

County Surveyor

When Fred Perris first moved back to Southern California, he tried to start a newspaper. But then he was offered a job as the Surveyor for San Bernardino County, California. This was a very big county, covering a lot of land, including parts of the Mojave Desert, Death Valley, and the San Bernardino Mountains. As the county surveyor, he helped plan places for reservoirs and laid the groundwork for the water system that now supplies the Inland Empire.

Railroad Engineer

When railroads started to come to the area, Fred Perris became the Chief Engineer for the California Southern Railroad. This company was building a train line from San Diego on the coast to Barstow, California in the desert.

Later, his company joined with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and he became their Chief Engineer. In 1885, he led the difficult job of building the railroad through the Cajon Pass. This pass is a tricky route between the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains, leading to the Mojave Desert. The train route he built is still used today by major railway companies like BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Fred Perris worked as Chief Engineer for Santa Fe for 35 years!

Fred Perris was married to Marrinetta E. Perris, and they had a son named Walter. He passed away in 1916.

Legacy

• Two cities in the United States are named in his honor: Perris, California, and Paris, Idaho.
• The Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, California, helps preserve railway history.
• The Perris Valley Historical and Museum Association keeps his old documents and records.