Chapter Three,
Lesson 1
Rails Across the Nation
Mr.Julian’s Class
Unit Essential Question:
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How do new transportation methods
affect where people live?
Lesson Essential Question:

What type of transportation made it
possible to travel and move goods
across the united States more
quickly?
Vocabulary
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Pony Express
Telegraph
Transcontinental Railroad
Linking East and West
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In the 1850’s the only railroads were
east of the Mississippi River.
To travel from the east to the west
you had two choices:
1. Take a train to St.Louis and then
board a stagecoach for the rest of
the journey.
2. Board a ship and sail around the
southern tip of south America up to
the west coast
Linking East and West
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In 1860 a new
business called
the Pony express
began delivering
mail from Missouri
to California in just
10 days.
Linking East and West
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The Pony Express
was a 2,000 mile
journey.
Riders would ride
about 75 miles
every day, trading
horses every 10 15 miles.
Linking East and West
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The Pony Express was soon put out
of business by the telegraph.
The telegraph sent messages along
wires using electricity.
Samuel Morse invented the
telegraph and a way to send
messages called Morse Code.
The first telegraph across the country
was completed in October 1861.
The Transcontinental Railroad
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The telegraph was great for news
and messages but it could not carry
people or goods to the west.
Many people believed that the best
way to link the east to the west was
to build a transcontinental railroad.
President Lincoln favored the
railroad.
The Transcontinental Railroad
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In 1862 congress approved two
companies to build the railroad, the
Union Pacific and the Central Pacific.
The Union Pacific began building
track west from Omaha, Nebraska
The Central Pacific began building
track east from Sacramento,
California.
Across the Plains
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The two companies were paid in
both land and money.
The company that could lay more
track and cover more land faster
would get more money and more
land.
The Central Pacific had the more
difficult track as they had to cut
through the Rocky Mountains
Across the Plains
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The Union Pacific had problems as
well. They had a great labor
shortage.
This problem ended when the Civil
War ended as many veterans joined
the railroad.
The most serious problem they faced
were the Native Americans.
Over the Mountains
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The Central Pacific had its fair share
of labor problems as well.
Most people living in California came
there to find gold and they were not
interested in earning the $35 a
month pay check.
The Chinese came looking for gold
as well.
The Chinese made up 80% of the
total workforce.
The Golden Spike
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On May 10, 1869, the tracks of the
Union Pacific and the Central Pacific
met at Promontory Point, Utah
Territory.
A special golden railroad spike was
used for the occasion.
The transcontinental railroad
changed travel in the U.S. What use
to take months now only took a
week.
Summary
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Why did the telegraph put the Pony
Express out of business?
What were two problems that the
Union Pacific faced?
What role did the Chinese play in
building the Central Pacific railroad?