Mark Hopkins Jr.
Introduction


**Mark Hopkins Jr.** (September 3, 1814 – March 29, 1878\) was an American railroad executive. He was one of four principal investors that funded [Theodore D. Judah](/wiki/Theodore_D._Judah "Theodore D. Judah")'s idea of building a railway over the Sierra Nevada from Sacramento, California to Promontory, Utah. They formed the [Central Pacific Railroad](/wiki/Central_Pacific_Railroad "Central Pacific Railroad") along with [Leland Stanford](/wiki/Leland_Stanford "Leland Stanford"), [Charles Crocker](/wiki/Charles_Crocker "Charles Crocker"), and [Collis Huntington](/wiki/Collis_Huntington "Collis Huntington") in 1861\.


Can you provide more context about the significance of building a railway from Sacramento, CA to Promontory, UT?