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The
Transcontinental Railroad |
The
Transcontinental Railroad Map
The Transcontinental Railroad
Map shows the route of the Union Pacific
Transcontinental Railroad in relation to the route of
the other Pacific Railroads. There were four Important
Pacific Railroads:
● The
Union Pacific (Transcontinental Railroad)
● The
Northern Pacific
● The
Central Pacific
● The Southern
Pacific
Transcontinental Railroad: Across the Continent
The Transcontinental Railroad
was one of the Pacific Railroads. The term
"Transcontinental" means going across a continent and
the transcontinental railroad enabled a journey on the
transcontinental railroad from the Eastern part of the
United States all the way to the Western part of the
United States.
Transcontinental Railroad: The Pacific Railroads
The
Transcontinental Railroad was one of the Pacific
Railroads. The term "Transcontinental" means going
across a continent and the transcontinental railroad
enabled a journey on the transcontinental railroad from
the Eastern part of the United States all the way to the
Western part of the United States. The Union Pacific
Transcontinental Railroad provided a railroad route
connecting New York on the Atlantic coast with San
Francisco, California on the Pacific Coast of the United
States.
History of the Railroad
and the
Transcontinental Railroad
To set the
scene for the development of the Transcontinental Railroad it is
interesting to check out the history of the railroad and trains -
also refer to
Railroads in the 1800s. The
history dates back to 1769 when James Watt patented his idea for a
steam engine which heralded the Industrial Revolution. In 1814
George Stephenson, considered the inventor of the first steam
locomotive engine for railways, engineered the steam locomotive and
developed the Rocket in 1829. 1825: Colonel John Stevens, considered
to be the father of American railroads, built a steam locomotive
capable of hauling passenger cars. In 1830 Peter Cooper designed the
Tom Thumb. In 1833 the 'John Bull' locomotive was one of the first
American locomotives to be fitted the famous 'cow catcher' at the
front of the train. The need of the Transcontinental Railroad and an
efficient transportation system became evident during the period of
Westward Expansion and the
discovery of gold and silver in the west.
Fast Facts and Stats
about the
Transcontinental Railroad
Fast facts
and statistics about the Transcontinental Railroad provides
interesting facts and important information presented in a simple
question and answer format:
Transcontinental Railroad: FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions
for kids)
Facts for
Kids
Questions and
Answers
Q. How long was
the Transcontinental Railroad?
A. It was
3,500 miles long and nearly 2,000 of miles of track were
added when work started in 1863
Q. When was the
Transcontinental Railroad built?
A. It started construction in 1863 and was completed on
March 10, 1869. The First Transcontinental Railroad was
originally known as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the
"Overland Route"
Q. Who funded
and financed the Transcontinental Railroad?
A. U.S. government bonds and extensive land grants of
government owned land. Loans were extended from $16,000 to
$48,000 for each mile of track laid.
Q. Who were the
big four in the Transcontinental Railroad?
A. The “big four” were Leland Stanford, Collis P.
Huntington, Charles Crocker and Mark Hopkins. They were also
called
Robber Barons
Q. What two
companies completed the Transcontinental Railroad?
A. 690 miles were completed by the Central Pacific Railroad
and 1,086 miles were constructed by the Union Pacific
Railroad.
Q. What were the
starting points and ending points of the transcontinental
railroad?
A. The
eastern starting point was
constructed by the Union Pacific RR from Omaha, Nebraska,
and the western starting point was constructed by the
Central Pacific in Sacramento, California. The two lines met
at Promontory Summit, Utah
Q. Who worked on
the Transcontinental Railroad?
A. Many American workers including Irish laborers and
ex-soldiers who served in the Civil War started work on the
tracks but in 1865 silver was discovered in Nevada, starting
a silver rush, and in 1865 Charles Crocker started to hire
Chinese immigrants - by the end of construction on May 10,
1869 over 11,000 workers were Chinese
Q. Where did the
Transcontinental Railroad meet?
A. Promontory Point, Utah was the meeting point where the
two railroads came together on May 10, 1869.
The last tie was laid and
hammered together with a bronze and gold spike - called the
Golden Spike
Transcontinental Railroad: FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions
for kids) continued...
Timeline and Facts about
the
Transcontinental Railroad for kids
Interesting facts about the Transcontinental Railroad are detailed
below. The history of the Transcontinental Railroad is told in a
factual timeline sequence consisting of a series of interesting,
short facts providing a simple method of relating the
history of the Transcontinental
Railroad for kids, schools and homework projects.
The
Transcontinental Railroad Fact Sheet and Timeline for
kids
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 1:
1845: The proposal
for the transportation system was presented to Congress
by Asa Whitney
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 2:
July 1860: Engineer
Theodore Judah reaches Donner Passand identifies the
location as ideal for constructing a line through the
Sierra Nevada.
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 3:
July 1, 1862:
Congress passes and President Lincoln signs the Pacific
Railroad Bill. The Bill charters
Central Pacific to build the California line and the
Union Pacific Railroad Company to build west from the
Missouri River.
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 4:
January 8, 1863:
California Governor Leland Stanford conducts the
Groundbreaking Groundbreaking ceremony for the Central
Pacific in Sacramento, California.
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 5:
October 26, 1863: The
Central Pacific begins construction of its first rails
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 6:
October 30, 1863:
Thomas "Doc" Durant, uses the leverage of his
controlling interest in the Union Pacific Railroad
Company to get himself appointed the railroad's vice
president and general manager.
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 7:
July 1, 1864:
Congress revises the Pacific Railroad Bill to double
land grants, pass control of all natural resources
located along the lines to the railroads and remove the
existing limitations on individual stock ownership
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 8:
October 1864: The
Union Pacific construction contract is signed over to
Union Pacific associate Herbert M. Hoxie who then signs
the contract over to Durant's new company, Credit
Mobilier of America. The transaction allows Thomas
Durant to pay himself for construction, generating giant
profits without congressional oversight.
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 9:
January 20, 1865:
President Lincoln asks Massachusetts senator Oakes Ames
to help to manage the Union Pacific. Oakes Ames
subsequently invests in Credit Mobilier and promotes the
interests of the company in Washington, D.C.
Transcontinental
Railroad Fact 10:
January 20, 1865:
Charles Crocker
starts to
hire Chinese immigrants for Central Pacific
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 11: April 9, 1865:
General Robert E. Lee surrenders and the Civil War ends
releasing many soldiers to work on the railways
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 12: April 9, 1865:
President Lincoln is assassinated
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 13: July 10, 1865: Union
Pacific Lays the First Rail
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 14:
July 1866 Doc Durant hired by
General Jack Casement as the
Union Pacific construction boss
who aims to construct 60 miles
of track per month
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 15: May 1867: Durant is
forced to resign from the Union Pacific
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 16: Jun 25, 1867: Chinese
workers Rail Strike for better hours and wages.
Crocker takes a hard line and strikers return to work
within a week
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 17: Apr 8, 1869: Location
of meeting of the railways agreed by Grenville Dodge and
Collis Huntington at Promontory Summit, Utah
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 18: May 10, 1869: Golden
Spike ceremony at Promontory Point, Utah. Tracks of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines are joined
together
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 19: The Pacific Railroad
constituted one of the most significant and ambitious
American technological feats of the 1800's following in
the footsteps of the building of transportation systems
such as the
Construction
of the Cumberland Road, the
Erie Canal, the
Oregon Trail
Transcontinental Railroad
Fact 20:
Telegraph lines and
the Morse Code enabled an communication system in
America. Telegraph poles were erected alongside the
railroads as the routes had already been cleared due to
the construction of the railroads and it was easy to set
up poles to carry the telegraph wires.
The Union Pacific
Railroad and the Credit Mobilier construction company
who were involved in the building of the eastern portion
of the First Transcontinental Railroad were later
involved in the
Credit Mobilier
Scandal.
The
Transcontinental Railroad Fact Sheet for kids
Transcontinental Railroad for kids - President Ulysses Grant Video
The article on the Transcontinental Railroad provides an overview of one of the Important
events during his presidential term in office. The
following Ulysses Grant video will give you
additional important facts and dates about the
political events experienced by the 18th American
President whose presidency spanned from March 4,
1869 to March 4, 1877.
Transcontinental Railroad
●
Interesting Facts about the Transcontinental Railroad for kids
●
Key events
and history of the Transcontinental Railroad for kids
●
The Transcontinental Railway, a Important
event in US history
●
Andrew Johnson Presidency from April 15, 1865 to March 4, 1869
●
Fast, fun facts about the Transcontinental Railway
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Andrew Johnson
● Andrew Johnson Presidency and
the Transcontinental Railroad for schools,
homework, kids and children |
