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How Much Was a Train Ticket from Washington to St. Louis in 1854?

How much did a train ticket cost from Washington to St. Louis in 1854? We found the answer in an old advertisement: $26.50 - roughly $660 in today's money. Compare this with a flight today, which costs around $280.
Paul Stevenson Oles sketch of the Vietnam Memorial
Front page of Washington Times on March 10th, 1919
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This is an old advertisement for railroad tickets between Washington, Baltimore and points west. A ticket from Washington to Cincinnati was $11, Chicago was $18, and St. Louis was $26.50. That ticket to St. Louis is roughly $660 in today’s money. A direct flight from DCA to STL today is about $280. We found this ad in the Washington Globe, printed on September 23rd, 1854.

1854 train tickets
1854 train tickets
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