Stanford Cal programs have always been some of our favorite. They are always well done as befits this great west coast rivalry. A very rare 1896 program from Thanksgiving Day is a real beauty.

The program celebrates the romantic era of train travel and features a full page add for the “Sunset Limited” which travels from San Francisco to New Orleans. The train included a Barber Shop, Reading Room, Drawing Room and Ladies’ Parlor and a Ladies’ Maid. From San Francisco to New Orleans took 78 hours, San Francisco to New York 118 hours. “That most perfect of modern trains. That acme of scientific thought and invention. That paragon of excellence.”

The 1897 Stanford v. Cal program also features a full page ad for the Sunset Limited, this time even more descriptive with a football theme: “Seaside to Lakeside in 3 days without a down” and “Sunshine on the bleachers all the way”