The Transcontinental Railroad

The first Transcontinental Railroad, believe it or not, shaped the country we live in today. It started in 1863 and was supported by state and federal government bonds. When Ulysses S. Grant took over as President of the United States after Andrew Johnson, he fully supported the construction. One side starting at Omaha, Nebraska with Thomas C. Durant and another side at San Francisco Bay with the Big Four in Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker. The goal was to meet in the middle at Ogden, Utah Territory and make history. Sometime after the Louisiana Purchase, Mexican-American War, and American control of the west, all the American people knew was how to work. It was the only way to survive unless you were born with a famous last name. The Transcontinental Railroad consisted of Union veterans after the American Civil War, Freed African-Americans, Irish, Chinese, and Mormon workers provided by Brigham Young in the Wyoming Territory. From 1863 to May 10th, 1869, the railroad workers built tracks stretching for 1,868 miles. The last spike or “The Golden Spike” was put in by Leland Stanford and thus, the goal was complete and President Grant was a happy man for his new political gain after his successful promontory summit north of the Great Salt Lake.

How did it shape our country?

It’s very simple. It showed what the American people do with their dreams. It was an American dream to see steam cars roll through the territory that we called ours. It created jobs which helped the workers with money and not live in poverty during the Reconstruction Era. The new territory had yet to be settled and with the Transcontinental Railroad, it allowed supplies to be shipped to build new cities, towns, and settlements. Also helped the new territories have politicians to help govern the territories and help them become states in the United States. The west had become more populated and helped politicians travel from New York to San Francisco at a faster pace than traveling by stagecoach. Foreign people, such as Chinese, could explore the American land and see it‘s wonders but also understand the harshness of Mother Nature.

What Does It Mean For The Future?

After the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, it allowed more railroads to open up throughout the West. Some ran Northwest to Oregon Territory, some ran South to Texas, others ran back to the East so that the population in the West would increase and the American people can start a new livelihood. Fast forwarding, because trains and such were popular and very useful resource for supplies and transportation, it allowed the evolution of steam cars to open up and create bigger and stronger steam cars for heavy work loads. To this day, the American people use trains for transportation and allow jobs to transport goods and military vehicles and resources. With all the modern technology we have today such as Boeing Airplanes, Subways, and 18 Wheelers, trains are still a reliable and useful source for the American economy. But don’t forget where it started, nationwide.