Established in 1981 to coincide with the grand opening of the California State Railroad Museum and the inaugural Railfair '81 exposition in Old Sacramento, Milepost 1 was operated by the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society (R&LHS). Taking its name from the railroad survey terminology marking the origin point of western rail construction, the store functioned as a dedicated specialty bookshop, clearinghouse, and repository for railroad history, technical manuals, out-of-print bulletins, photographic folios, and locomotive rosters. Operating out of Old Sacramento's historic waterfront district throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the chapter later moved its retail stock and fulfillment operations east to Wool Street in historic Folsom before physical retail operations wound down in the 2000s.