Frank Norris Muckraker.

Frank Norris

Frank Norris was an author who wrote many books including The Octopus. This book, although fictional, exposed that the railroads in California were monopolies. In the next few years the U.S. broke up the railroads in the Northwest.  The railroads needed to be broken because they could set or raise a price at any time without competition. Farmers near the railroads bought land for $2.50 an acre. The farmers fixed up the land not knowing that the railroad later retained the title for the land. The railroad company tried to sell the land for $25 to $35 dollars an acre. For those who resisted there was a forced eviction that 7 died in. Many of the farmers got their land back eventually. Frank Norris wrote the Octopus on this. William Jennings Bryans also wrote his speech “Cross of Gold” over the railroad monopoly crisis. The Octopus is often associated with Upton Sinclair’s famous muckraking book The Jungle.

Basic information on a few muckrakers. Muckrakers

Basic information about the railroads.California Railroads

A summary for The Octopus can be found at the fallowing link. The Octopus