When construction of the Madeira-Mamore Railroad began in 1867, Bolivia had lost its war with Chile, causing it to become landlocked and unable to ship its minerals and other products from the Pacific Coast. Since Bolivia needed to find a way to move products from the Atlantic Coast, the government decided a railroad should be built around the Madeira River, which originates in Bolivia and travels almost 2,000 miles through Brazil to the Amazon, facilitating shipment to foreign markets via the Amazonian waterway. Although there have been many brief chronicles and writings about the Madeira-Mamore Railroad over the years, most barely scratch the surface of this incredible story."
Gary Neeleman and Rose Neeleman lived in Brazil for more than ten years, where Gary worked as a foreign correspondent for United Press International (UPI) and later was the vice president of UPI for the Latin American area. He is currently the Honorary Brazilian Consul for the state of Utah. Both authors are fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. |