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The Transcontinental Railroad
How and Why it Came About:
As the United States grew into a nation, the two coasts developed into business and population
centers. They were separated by a sparsely-settled area in the middle of the country. In 1861, a
telegraph line linked the two coasts. But transportation between the two areas proved difficult.
People had to send their goods over land by ox-cart, or on ships that had to travel around South
America which took anywhere from four to seven months. The nation needed a way to bring goods,
quickly and cheaply, from one coast to the other. The railroad offered the answer.
The discovery of gold in California and the Homestead Act both contributed to a greater desire for
people to find a transportation link between the two coasts. Ten different routes were surveyed in the
1850’s. The country even purchased land from Mexico (The Gadsden Purchase) so that a southern
railway could be built. But there was a great debate over which route was best, and the southern
railway was never built. By the time the decision was made, the South had seceded from the United
States, and the country could not build a railroad through these lands. Instead, a northern route was
chosen.
The Pacific Railway Act
In order to encourage companies to take on the transcontinental adventure, the government
passed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. In it, the government granted subsidies to railroad
companies. A subsidy is when money or land grants are given. For each company 6,400 acres of
western land was given for every mile of track laid. In addition, the government also offered to
provide loans at a low rate. State and communities also offered cash subsidies to make sure the
railroads came to their community. Money, land, and good old competition between the two major
railroad companies, the Union and Central Pacific, encouraged a sense of competition to out build
one other.
Union Pacific Railroad
The newly-formed Union Pacific Railroad was moving west from Omaha, Nebraska covering
approximately 1,038 miles over mostly plains. The Native Americans were friendly until they realized
their survival depended on stopping the “Iron Horse.” As railroad tracks were constructed across the
Great Plains, buffalos were seen as an obstacle that had to be removed. Many settlers even killed
buffalo for sport, reducing the once great herds of the plains to near extinction. As a result, conflict
with the Indians who depended on the buffalo for food, shelter, and religious purpose, was a
constant ordeal. Most tracks also ran through their lands. The workmen had to be ready to drop their
shovels, grab their guns, and start shooting.
Each railroad company used cheap labor to construct their section of the transcontinental system.
12,000 men had drifted to Omaha from the North and South. The Civil War was over, and soldiers
from both sides needed work. Former slaves needed work. Ex-convicts needed work. The biggest
group, though, were the Irish. Some of the Irish and fought in the Civil War, but many were fresh off
the boat from Ireland.
The Central Pacific Railroad
The other major railroad company was the Central Pacific Railroad. This company began in
Sacramento, California and laid tracks 724 miles east. The Central Pacific had its own unique
challenges as the workers encountered the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Progress was particularly slow
when tunnels needed to be dug out of the mountains or blizzards made working conditions perilous.
Cheap labor was abundant in the west, with Chinese immigrants filtering in through San Francisco.
The Chinese who generally worked in ‘gangs’ of about 12-20 people were described as the
following:
"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
“I’ve been working on the Railroad, all the live, long, day!”
Living conditions were difficult. The men lived in tents or in converted boxcars. The hours were long
and the work was hard and often dangerous. The old saying would go that ‘An Irishman was buried
under every tie’. In addition, because there was such an abundant amount of workers, Railroad
Tycoons could afford to pay workers a salary as low as $1.00 a day! (Econ 101: High Supply, Low
Prices) As a result, it was not uncommon for the workers to go on strike.
But the food was always good and there was plenty of it. A good cook was the most important
person in camp. A bad cook might be run out at gunpoint! Every day started with a huge breakfast.
There would be platters of meat, fried potatoes and other vegetables, canned fruit, several kinds of
pie, and coffee. Cup after cup after cup! At noon the workers would come roaring in for more of the
same.
They were strong, hard-working, tough men. They lived for their weekends at the mobile towns that
sprang up at the end of the line. These towns were portable. When about fifty miles of new track had
been laid, the gamblers, the saloon keepers, the swindlers, the dance-hall ladies raced on up the
track to set up a new town. The flimsy buildings, often with canvas roofs, were taken down, piled on
wagons, and erected at the new spot.
The workers may have lived for the weekend, but they died for it, too. The combination of whiskey
and gambling usually meant brawling and shooting. Bodies were constantly dragged from the
saloons. For every man killed in a work accident, four were murdered in fighting. As each mobile
town packed up for its next location, it left a brand-new cemetery behind.
The End of the Line
The two companies raced against each other by constructing a record eight miles of track in a day!
They eventually met in Promontory Point, Utah on May 10th 1869. The nation had the link it needed. 6
Irishmen laid down the last rail from the east and 6 Chinamen laid down the last rail from the west.
Then the Golden Spike was to be hammered in place. Leland Stanford, Governor of California, drove
the final golden spike into a tie to join the two railroads. The telegraph operator sent the message,
“Done,” to all parts of the country anyway. Church bells rang, parades began, and people from east
to west celebrated…the Native Americans did not celebrate. By 1883 two more transcontinental lines
were built.
Sammy
The Transcontinental Railroad
How and Why it Came About:
As the United States grew into a nation, the two coasts developed into business and
population center. However, it was very difficult to get from one side of the United States to
the other. The country needed a way to bring goods quickly and cheaply. The Railroad
offered the answer!
The only problem was that nobody knew where the railway tracks should be built. Both the
North and the South argued it should be built in their region. By the time the decision was
made, the South had broken away from the United States. Instead, a northern route was
chosen.
The Pacific Railway Act
In order to encourage companies to take on the transcontinental adventure, the government
passed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. In it, the government granted subsidies to railroad
companies. A subsidy is when the government gives out land or money. As a result, two major
railroad companies, the Union and Central Pacific were established.
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad was moving west from Omaha, Nebraska covering approximately 1,038
miles over mostly plains. While the plains were flat and easy to build on, the Union Railroad workers
faced problems with the Native Americans who lived on the land they were passing through.
Each railroad company used cheap labor to construct their section of the transcontinental system.
12,000 were hired from the Civil war soldiers, freed slaves, and ex-cons. The biggest group, however,
came from Ireland.
The Central Pacific Railroad
The other major railroad company was the Central Pacific Railroad. This company began in
Sacramento, California and laid tracks 724 miles east. This company had its own unique challenges
as workers had to pass through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The Central Pacific Railroad hired cheap labor from Chinese immigrants in San Francisco.
The End of the Line
The two companies raced against each other by constructing a record eight miles of track in a day!
They eventually met in Promontory Point, Utah on May 10th 1869.
Leland Stanford, Governor of California, drove the final golden spike into a tie to join the two
railroads. The telegraph operator sent the message, “Done,” to all parts of the country anyway.