Left twisting in the wind when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 without touching its desert soil, Arizona languished in a prolonged battle with the natives and the elements. That ended with a silver boom in the Dragoons and a copper boom in the Mules. An untold wealth had been discovered in the desolate mountains of southeastern Arizona, with no easy way to haul it out. Overnight, plans began to connect Tucson by rail to Los Angeles and El Paso. At long last, progress was coming to the mesquite.