Transcontinental Railroad By: Natalie

Introduction
Imagine, blasting through mountains with Nitroglycerin all day. Laying track with your buddies, and creating caves. Sounds fun right? Well, now imagine that your a Chinese immigrant working for nearly 24 hours a day, all week. While blasting mountains to lay track, you accidently blow your friend up too. Still sound fun? Well, that is what working on the Transcontinental railroad was like for many men. Although the Transcontinental Railroad was very helpful for people all over the United States, the process of building cost money, and lives. The Transcontinental Railroad required lots of planning, courageous men, and a massive celebration.

The Idea and the Problem
In the 1800s, cars and shuttles weren’t there to transport people and goods quickly. People traveling long distances often had to travel by ship. This often took several took months, and cost a great deal. People begin to talk of a Transcontinental Railroad. Theodore Judah had the idea to put a steam engine on a wagon, creating a train. People everywhere agreed with this idea. Congress had two routes to choose from: The Southern Route, which went through Texas and New Mexico, and The Central Route, which went from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California. Eventually, congress decided on the Central Route, which also ran through the Oregon Trail. The Central Pacific and the Union Pacific were two companies set up to build the railroads. The Central Pacific would start in Sacramento, and the Union would start in Omaha. Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862. This granted both companies land and resources to build the Transcontinental Railroad. Now, construction could begin.




Men worked in all weather conditions. Although thousands of Americans appreciated the Transcontinental Railroad, many workers died of exhaustion, weather, and Native American attacks.

Construction
After Theodore Judah hired the Big Four (Collins Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, and Leland Stanford) to fund the two railroad companies, the building began. Charles Crocker was in Sacramento to supervise the first tracks being laid on January 8, 1863. The Central Pacific consisted of mostly Chinese immigrants, and the Union Pacific was mostly Irish immigrants. The Chinese were paid $35 a month, while the Irish were paid up to $4 a day! The Central Pacific had to blast through the Sierra Nevada Mountains with Nitroglycerin, leaving them with only a few feet of track a day. The Union Pacific on the other hand, laid track through miles of flat land. Leaving them with miles laid a day.

Cons of Building
As you may guess, there were many downs in construction. During winters, men had to shovel up snow just so they could lay track. Not to mention, many men froze to death anyway. This left both companies with only feet of track a day. After this major setback, the government decided to make a race between the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific. This race was called the Great Race. This sped up the process on both ends of the railroad. The Central Pacific even laid 10 miles of track one day! The Central Pacific won the Great Race on April 30. While the Union Pacific was building, they were sometimes attacked by Native Americans that lived where they laid track. Hopefully all of the cons in building would soon be worth it.

A Celebration

Union Pacific and Central Pacific meet in Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869. The railroad finished seven years before people anticipated.


On May 10, 1869, the two railroad companies met in Promontory Summit. The total length of the railroad was 1,776 miles long! Leland Stanford drove the last spike into the ground. The railroad, was complete. People everywhere celebrated and danced through their streets. 12 year old Myah was so happy to know that she could finally see her dad in Omaha. Hundreds of girls like Myah celebrated the change. The last spike that was drove was made of gold. This spike was removed from the ground for security reasons, but you can still see this golden spike today at Stanford University in California. When the golden spike was driven into the ground, one hundred guns fired off in New York. Finally, the American Transcontinental railroad was complete. Crossing over five modern states.

Conclusion
Clearly, the American Transcontinental Railroad required hard work, problem solving, and a celebration! People all around the United States could now travel and transport goods quickly and efficiently. Before, the only way of transportation was on foot, wagon, or boat. These ways cost a lot, and took months. Although the railroad satisfied so many people, lots of men died while building it. I wonder, was it worth it?