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| The builders of the Transcontinental Railroad who’d been working from the east and the west meet at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869. |
The Transcontinental Railroad is completed in the United States. Originally called the Pacific Railroad, the Transcontinental Railroad became the first continuous railway across the United States. Its construction began in 1863 and was primarily executed by Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California (CPRC). On its completion date, the CPRC’s president hammered in the ceremonial last spike, known as the “Golden Spike,” at Promontory Summit, Utah.
The transcontinental railroad was built primarily by the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad, with significant contributions from thousands of immigrant laborers, particularly Chinese and Irish workers.Overview of the Builders
The transcontinental railroad was constructed primarily by two major companies:
Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR)
Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR)
Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR)
Key Contributions
Central Pacific Railroad Location: Built eastward from Sacramento, California.
Labor Force: Initially struggled to recruit American workers, leading to the hiring of a significant number of Chinese immigrants.
Challenges: Faced difficult terrain, particularly the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Union Pacific Railroad Location: Built westward from Omaha, Nebraska.
Labor Force: Primarily employed Irish immigrants and Civil War veterans.
Challenges: Encountered resistance from Native American tribes and had to navigate the Great Plains.
Immigrant Labor
The construction of the railroad relied heavily on immigrant labor, particularly:
These laborers faced harsh working conditions, including dangerous tasks and poor treatment, yet their contributions were crucial to the completion of this monumental project.
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1 comment:
It took until 1872 to get a railroad bridge across the Missouri at Omaha. Until then trains had to be ferried across. The Mississippi had one bridge in 1856, at the Rock Island Arsenal. It was the only one until after the war. The railroads grew like mad after the war, and when steel replaced iron in the 1890s it changed the world.
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