The Florida West Coast Railway
Flagler needed the help of other railroad owners of the time to direct passengers to the east coast. Henry Bradley Plant, Flagler’s counterpart on the west coast, was widely known for his Savannah, Florida, and Western Railroad, which served as an important connection to the north. Plant and Flagler were not in competition with each other, rather they ultimately realized that they should coordinate their efforts because there was enough room for growth in Florida for both of them to benefit financially.
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"When building railroads in the late 19th century, it was important to understand that one needed to attract people to ride their railroad in order to make money. Both Plant and Flagler understood this – and they both understood that the faster one could lay track, the faster one could make money." |
"The Gilded Age had arrived in Florida, traveling the rails of Henry M. Flagler and Henry B. Plant."
- The New History of Florida by Michael Gannon (Editor)