Download “Crazy Judah`s” Transcontinental Dream .....5

All Aboard Study Guide, Page |2
A Note From The Director .............................3
Meet Our Cast..............................................4
“Crazy Judah’s” Transcontinental Dream .....5
The Union Pacific .........................................6
The Central Pacific .......................................6
The Native Americans...................................6
Driving the Golden Spike..............................7
Summary .....................................................8
Glossary.......................................................8
Activities ......................................................9
Wordsearch ................................................10
Crossword Puzzle .......................................11
Coloring Page .............................................12
Answer Key ................................................13
Bibliography ..............................................15
All Aboard Study Guide, Page |3
For a history buff, the story of the Transcontinental Railroad is a treasure house. It
encompasses the Civil War, Industrial Revolution, immigration, western expansion,
compelling biographies, and the evolution of America’s self-identity. How to select and
compress all this history into a forty-five minute performance for kids aged 5 to 18, and
families, with only three actors and the stuff they can fit into a van?
Our solution is to narrow the story down to a handful of individuals who represent the
hundreds of thousands that conceived, planned, built, and exploited the Union Pacific and
Central Pacific Railroads. Some of the characters are actual historical personalities, or a
composite of similar personalities. Others are fictional, inspired by real accounts of
nameless workers. Our show will not be a complete chronology of events, which is readily
available in books and on the internet. It is a mosaic of highlighted individual stories.
Your students will meet a young veteran of the Union Army working for the Union Pacific as
it lays track through the Midwest, a Chinese laborer handling explosives for the Central
Pacific in the Sierras, and a Native American observing the end of a people’s way of life.
There are also some fascinating glimpses of historical personalities such as President
Lincoln and Theodore Judah. It culminates in a breathtaking race to the Golden Spike.
ALL ABOARD!!
James Goode, now in his 39th Season with the
Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, has been a part of BTE's
Theatre In The Classroom project since its inception. As an
actor, he performed in Along the Susquehanna (both in the
US and the 1991 Africa tour), Ancient Thunder, Echoes of
Tomorrow, and Story Spinners. As a writer/director (or cowriter/co-director), he has created Patchworks: Life and
Legends of the Coal Towns, Under African Skies, Girls With
Gumption, Capture the Flag: Kids of the Civil War, and this
years' show All Aboard!. This season on BTE's MainStage,
he performed in Body Awareness, Gunpowder Joe, and The
Foreigner. Watch for him this summer in The BFG!
All Aboard Study Guide, Page |4
Nicolai Kabana is a recent graduate of Bloomsburg
University’s Theatre Arts program and is currently an
intern for the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble’s 2017
season. Some of his previous roles on stage include:
Princeton/Rod (Avenue Q), Father/Narrator (The
Nosemaker’s Apprentice), Matt Galloway/Aaron
McKinney/Jonas Slonaker (The Laramie Project), and
William (Roadkill Confidential). Since graduating he has
worked as an extra on hit television shows such as Gotham
and Blacklist Redemption.
Kimie Muroya recently graduated from Temple
University with a B.A. in Theater, with a concentration in
Acting. She is delighted to be making a return to BTE—
she participated in Ancient Greek Idol (2009) and the Noh
Training Project (2014). In Philadelphia, she has worked
onstage with the Delaware Shakespeare Festival, InterAct
Theatre Company, Plays & Players Theatre, ReVamp
Collective, and two new play readings for the National
Asian American Theatre Conference and Festival. She
worked as an Arden Professional Apprentice in arts
administration and management for the Arden Theatre.
She is one of the founding members of the Philadelphia
Asian Performing Artists (PAPA) and has also collaborated
with the Asian Arts Initiative and playwright Rick Shiomi.
She blames her love of Shakespeare's works on the BTE
and their 2010 production of Hamlet.
Taiwo Sokan is a recent graduate of the Theatre Arts
program at the University of Pennsylvania This is her first
professional production with Bloomsburg Theatre
Ensemble. She is so excited to work with such incredibly
talented team. Previously she has shown an original
ensemble play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and some
of her favorite past roles include Beaver in Cat-A-Strophe
(Philadelphia Fringe Festival) and Judah in Joseph and the
Technicolor Dreamcoat (Limelight Performing Arts Center).
She would like to thank Elizabeth and Jim for seeing
potential in her and her family for being her biggest
supporters and advocates. Glory be!
All Aboard Study Guide, Page |5
Today, a railroad stretching across the United States
seems like a no-brainer.
But to many people, the
building of a Transcontinental Railroad seemed an
impossible feat.
One man who believed it could be done was Theodore
Judah. As Chief Engineer for the Central Pacific Railroad
Company, “Crazy Judah” surveyed the lay of the land
around the Sierra Nevada Mountains of the western
United States.
Convinced that building a railroad
through these massive landforms was possible, Judah
struck a business deal with some merchants from
Sacramento who provided some money to get the project
started. These men would come to be known as “The Big
Four.”
Theodore Judah tirelessly attempted to convince the
United States government of the importance of such a
railroad.
Distracted
by
the
ongoing
Civil
War,
government officials were wary to take on such a project.
Finally, on July 1st, 1862 Judah caught a lucky break.
President Abraham Lincoln, whose first job was as a
lawyer for a railroad company, signed the Pacific
Railroad Act. The Union Pacific Railroad Company would
build from the Missouri River and head west, while the
Central Pacific would start in Sacramento and head east.
Sadly, neither of the men would live to see the railroad
completed. Theodore Judah died of Yellow Fever in
November 1863 and Lincoln was assassinated in April
1865.
All Aboard Study Guide, Page |6
The Union Pacific began laying track in
Omaha, Nebraska. The flat midwestern
land was the perfect terrain to build a
railroad, and work went smoothly for a
while. But Native Americans of the area
felt violated by this expansion into the
west and began to react, sometimes
violently. In response, the Union Pacific
hired marksmen to shoot buffalo, the
lifeblood for the Native Americans.
Facing horrible weather conditions and
impossibly high mountains, the Central
Pacific hired Chinese laborers. These men
worked through the obstacles and eventually
developed a system for dealing with the
steep cliffs of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Workers would be lowered down the cliff face
in baskets and quickly raised to safety once
explosives were set. It was dangerous work,
and many lives were lost to this daring task.
To the many Native American Tribes living on
the plains of North America, construction of
the Transcontinental Railroad brought about
the end of a way of life. Every new mile of
track brought settlers and businesses from
the East, resulting in the Native Tribes being
forced to step aside. The systematic
destruction of the buffalo cemented the virtual
extinction of these native peoples.
All Aboard Study Guide, Page |7
On May 10th, 1869 in Promontory Summit, Utah, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific
workers met to drive the final spike of the Transcontinental Railroad. California Governor
Leland Stanford swung the hammer that drove the “Golden Spike” into its tie. This was
perhaps the first ever “mass media” event, as a telegraph message reading simply “DONE”
was sent to both coasts. It was the beginning of the modern age we know today. Before the
completion of the railroad, travel from East to West took six months or more. The driving of
the “Golden Spike” meant coast to coast travel was possible in under one week.
All Aboard Study Guide, Page |8
During the Civil War, Theodore Judah had an idea to build a railroad across America.
Abraham Lincoln liked that idea, so he got two companies, the Union Pacific and the
Central Pacific to start laying track. The Union Pacific started at the Missouri River, and the
Central Pacific started in Sacramento, California.
The companies had special teams of workers to make way for the train tracks. The
Grubbers used explosives and other tools to clear the route, and the Graders flattened the
land. It was hard work, and the men had to watch out for buffalo and other wild animals.
Soon after one Ten Mile Day, the companies met in Promontory Summit, Utah where a
Golden Spike was hammered. It symbolized the completion of the track. Now a locomotive,
powered by steam, could travel across the country in only a week!
Railroading terms:
Fishplates: metal plates which hold the tracks together.
Spikes: large “nails” which secure the rails to the ties.
Ties: wooden beams, set in the ground, on to which the rails are secured at a constant
distance apart.
Surveyors: workers who observe and measure the land, deciding where the rail road will
be.
Grubbers: workers who follow the surveyors, clearing out trees, rocks, and shrubs
Graders: workers who follow the grubbers to smooth and level the ground.
Gandy Dancers: workers who tamp down the ties so that they were level and secure in
the dirt.
Boomers: temporary workers who moved from job to job, following the “boom” towns.
Dancing on the carpet: called into the supervisor's office because you did something
wrong.
Other Vocabulary:
Ancient Rome/Julius Caesar: About 2000 years ago, the Roman Republic ruled
Europe and the Mediterranean world. Julius Caesar (100 BC-44 BC) was a brilliant
military leader and was its first Dictator, and later a Consul. Following his
assassination, the Roman Republic evolved into the Roman Empire.
All Aboard Study Guide, Page |9
Civil War: From1861 to 1865, the United States was divided into two waring sections,
the North and the South, to resolve long-standing issues of slavery, succession, and
state's rights. Abraham Lincoln was the President during the Civil War.
Erie Canal: Connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River, the Erie Canal was built
across upstate New York. It was a great boon to the country's economy. Canals like the
Erie showed that it was possible to move goods and people cheaply and smoothly over
long distances to travel, something railroads soon proved they could do even better.
The Golden Spike: To celebrate the joining of the east and west sections of the
Transcontinental Railroad, a special spike of gold was forged, and driven in the last rail.
Wires connected to the spike were connected as it was hit, sending a message over the
national telegraph wires announcing the completion of the railroad.
Strourbridge Lion: This was the first steam locomotive in the United States. Built in
England, it was shipped to America, and tested in Honesdale, PA in 1829. While the
locomotive engine performed fine, the tracks were unable to support its heavy weight,
and so the test failed.
Telegraph/Telegram: The telegraph was an early form of long-distance communication,
sending electric impulses called Morse Code, over wires. The message was printed and
delivered on a telegram.
Transcontinental: Literally “across the continent”.
War with Mexico: From 1846 to 1848, the United States and Mexico had an armed
conflict over rival claims to territory in what is now Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and
southern California.
Yangtze River: The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the
world.
Before the performance:
Review the geography of the American Plains and the Rocky Mountains.
What was the terrain like?
The climate?
The natural resources?
Plant and animal life?
Before or after the performance:
Visit Steamtown National Park, in Scranton, PA.
A l l A b o a r d S t u d y G u i d e , P a g e | 10
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Word List
Civil War
Theodore Judah
Railroad
Abraham Lincoln
Union Pacific
Central Pacific
Track
Missouri River
Sacramento
Train
Grubbers
Graders
Buffalo
Ten Mile Day
Locomotive
Steam
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A l l A b o a r d S t u d y G u i d e , P a g e | 11
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ACROSS
DOWN
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1
__________ Summit, Utah.
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"I've been workin' on the _________,
all the livelong day."
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Railroad Company, Central _______.
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The Union Pacific started at the
__________ River.
Workers who clear the land with
explosives.
5
President _________ Lincoln
6
The last spike of the
Transcontinental Railroad.
8
This is what you get when you boil
water.
9
Railroad Company, _________ Pacific.
10 The Central Pacific started in
__________, California.
11 Workers who flatten the land.
A l l A b o a r d S t u d y G u i d e , P a g e | 12
A l l A b o a r d S t u d y G u i d e , P a g e | 13
WordSearch
A l l A b o a r d S t u d y G u i d e , P a g e | 14
CrossWord
A l l A b o a r d S t u d y G u i d e , P a g e | 15
Online Resources
American Experience: The Transcontinental Railroad Public Broadcasting System 120 minutes.
Available on youtube
California State Railrood Museum. www.csrmf.org
Central Pacific Rail Road www.cprr.org
Golden Spike National Historic Site www.nps.org
The Transcontinental Rail Road Railroad. www.lindahall.org
Union Pacific Railroad Museum. www.up.com
Books
Ambrose, Stephen. Nothing Like it In The World- The Men Who Built The Transcontinental
Railroad. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001.
Bain, David Howard. Empire Express: Building The First Transcontinental Railroad. New York:
Penguin Group, 1999.
Barter, James. The Working Life- A Worker on the Transcontinental Railroad. San Diego: Lucent
Books, 2003.
Chew, William. Nameless Builders of the Transcontinental Railroad. Victoria, British Columbia:
Trafford Publishing, 2004.
Coleman, Wim and Pat Perrin. The Transcontinental Railroad and the Great Race to Connect the
Nation. Berkley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2006.
Durbin, William. Until The Last Spike: The Journal of Sean Sullivan, a Transcontinental Railroad
Worker. New Your: Scholastic Paperbacks, 2013.
Latham, Frank Brown. The Transcontinental Railroad 1862-69: A Great Engineering Feat Links
America Coast to Coast. New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., 1973.
Mercati, Cynthia. Great Race: The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Logan, Iowa:
Perfection Learning Corp., 2002.
Otfinoski, Steven. Building the Transcontinental Railroad (You Choose: Engineering Marvels). North
Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2014
Sandler, Martin W. Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation. Somerville, MA:
Candlewick Press, 2015.
Wheeler, Keith and the Time-Life Editors. The Old West: Railroaders. New York: Time-Life Books,
1973.
Yep, Laurence. Dragon's Gate. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc, 1993.