ntinent al Railr 863 -1869 )
Dec 24, 2015
Problem:• Transportation is key to the survival
of communities out west
• Create a R.R. network that stretches from the east to west coast
Solution:
Routes:• Problem: Northern and Southerners argued over
whether the R.R. route should run through the North (Central route) or South
• Solution: During the Civil War, the Union gov’t chose a northerly route
How?• Gov’t granted subsidies ($ and land grants) to aid
R.R. construction– Total of 130 million acres of land
……why?• State and Local communities also offered cash
subsidies to make sure the R.R. came to their community
1862: Pacific R.R. Act
–1,700 miles across hot plains, and Rugged Mountains
Challenge Accepted:
1. Union Pacific2. Central Pacific
Challenge:
Union Pacific Company• Laid track westward from Omaha, Nebraska – Mostly plains– Conflicts with Indians
Covered 1,038 miles
Central Pacific Company• Laid track eastward from Sacramento California
– Sierra Nevada Mts (15 tunnels)– Snowstorms
• Covered 724 miles Ka-boom!
• Labor: 10,000 Chinese – “Gangs” of about 12-20 each
"As a class they are quiet, peaceable, patient, industrious and economical. Ready and apt to learn all the different kinds of work required in railroad building, they soon became as efficient as the white laborers...” –Stanford
Daily life working on the tracks• Engineers, blacksmiths, carpenters, engineers,
surveyors, and cooks • Hard work, long hours, $1.00 salary Strikes • Dangerous– “An Irishman buried under every tie”– Snowstorms, Indians, explosions, mountain avalanches,
exposure to the elements…etc.
Standard R.R. gauge (distance b/t the rails) is 4ft x8 ½ inches
May 10, 1869:• Construction is completed at Promontory Point, UT• Leland Stanford Gov. of California, drives the final
golden spike into a tie to join the 2 railroads“DONE.”
Effects of the Railroad1. Ended the use of Overland Trails:– Faster, safer, and cheaper passage (8 weeks and
about $65)
2. Increase in population 3. Economic Effects:– Growth of towns/cities, businesses, and new
industries– Ranchers/Farmers
4. “Manifest Destiny”