US History: Spiconardi
TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD:
Origins
Why would the government want a
connected rail system so badly?
What benefits would a
transcontinental railroad bring
America?
 In order to connect the newly expanding West
with the rest of the country, the federal
government wanted to extend the railroads
 To encourage the building of railroads the
government offered
 10 sq. miles of land for every mile of track built
 Loans
 Public land for that actual track routes
Origins
 Central Pacific & Union Pacific
 Leland Stanford won the right to build the tracks
from Sacramento, CA eastward.
 This railroad was called the Central Pacific Railroad
 Dr. Thomas Clark Durant won the right to build the
tracks from Omaha, NE westward
 This railroad was called the Union Pacific Railroad
The Workers
The Central Pacific
 Used Chinese workers to build
its tracks (80% of work force)
 Imported over 7,000 men from
China
 Also used African-American
laborers
The Union Pacific
 Used Irish construction
workers to build its tracks
The Workers
 Working Conditions
 Hazardous
 Snow storms
 Avalanches
 Cutting through mountains
 Low pay
Chinese railroad workers laying track in the snow
Completion (sort of)
 Dateline: May 10, 1869. Promontory Point, UT
 In a ceremony, the two railroad lines were
connected by a golden spike
 The Transcontinental Railroad was complete
 Actually railways connecting Sacramento and Omaha
were complete
Effects of a Transcontinental
Rail System
 Time
 Development of standard time zones
 Government adapted railroad time as the national
time
Effects of a Transcontinental
Rail System
 Economic growth
 Cattle
 Beef could now be shipped to consumers in the East
 Agriculture
 Farmers could transport their crops to all parts of
America
 Steel
 Increase in production due to need for steel rails
 Coal production
 Growth of Municipalities
 Cities like Los Angeles, Kansas City, Seattle, Denver, &
Omaha become regional centers