During the mid-1800s more people started exploring and moving to the West. This created a demand for an easier and faster way of getter there. The best solution to this problem was building a transcontinental railroad. Especially with the news of the Gold Rush in California, people were eager to get there as soon as possible. But during that time the easiest way of transportation was to ride a wagon across the Central Plains which could take 4-5 months. Another way was to sail over to South America, travel through the Isthmus on Panama, and catch a boat headed toward California. That is, if you could afford it and wanted to risk the chance of catching malaria.
In 1861, the start of the Civil War made the building of the railroad a high priority for the Union because they wanted California to join them. It was also a priority to merchant Asa Whitney, who believed that the railroad would not only persuade California to join the Union, but the West to the rest of the country. He also believed that trade with China would increase, resulting in the growth of the economy. Many times Whitney approached Congress with the idea of building a railroad that would stretch across the country. But over and over again, his idea was rejected. Still, he was persistent and wouldn't give up.
Over in California, a young man named Theodore Judah built the first railroad tracks in Sacramento. When he heard rumors of a transcontinental railroad, he believed that it could be connected to his tracks. Judah began looking for people to finance this huge project. His idea was rejected and mocked, but he kept on looking. Eventually, he found four businessmen who were willing to put money into the railroad. These four men, Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Charles Crocker, were known as “The Big Four.”
Finally, after many attempts, Asa Whitney's railroad idea was approved by Congress. In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act was passed and then signed by Abraham Lincoln. The act gave two railroad companies permission to build the railroad and decided which routes they would take. Congress even encouraged the building of the railroad by giving large amounts of land and money to this project. For every mile of rail laid, a company would receive 10 square miles of land surrounding the track. In addition to receiving the land, each company would receive money according to the terrain. They would get $16,000 for each mile built on level land, $32,000 every mile built on hilly land, and $48,000 per mile built in the mountains.
On January 8, 1863, ground was broken by the two railroad companies. The Union Pacific started at Omaha, Nebraska and the Central Pacific at Sacramento, California. They would both lay rails towards each other until a meeting point was determined. Leading the way for the Union Pacific was Thomas Durant. One of "The Big Four", Charles Crocker, led the Central Pacific.
Thousands of people worked on this huge task. Many Irish immigrants worked for the Union Pacific and when the Civil War had ended, hundreds of jobless veterans came to help as well. Lack of workers was never a problem for the Central Pacific, as boatloads of Chinese immigrants were hired. Even with a lower pay than the white men, the Chinese worked hard and soon became more dependable than any of the other workers. By the time the railroad was finished, over 12,000 Chinese had been hired, making up 80% of the Central Pacific laborers.
Now with workers in place and financial needs taken cared of, the hardest part of the project was yet to be done. First, shovels and pick axes were used to dig up the ground. This would remove any hindrances and help level the soil. Next, the rail crew would come and lay down a rail. This might sound simple, but the rails had to be properly laid and lined up, otherwise a train could fall off the track. An efficient crew could lay one rail in 30 seconds. Finally, 6-inch spikes would be hammered into the rails to hold them in place. When tracks needed to be laid in the mountains, blasting crews would drill holes, pour in black powder, set the fuse, and blow through the rock.
At first, after a long and hard day’s work, tents would be pitched for laborers to eat and sleep in. The next day, the tents would be taken down and moved to the next worksite. But one day, the railroad directors came together and decided that it was too much work having to pitch and take down tents. So they came up with a solution known as “The City on Wheels.” It was a small building on top of a railroad car that could follow the workers as they lay down tracks. Each mobile home could house up to 50 workers and hold all of their supplies. It also came with sleeping quarters and a dining area.
Every project comes with its problems, and both companies experienced quite a few during the building of the railroad. Blowing through hard rock in the mountains was a constant, difficult task, especially for the Central Pacific who spent most of their time blowing through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Union Pacific had problems of their own when they were laying tracks on the territory of the Plain Indians. Soldiers had to be hired to defend the workers from the Indian attacks. When winter came along, it brought avalanches, snow storms, frostbite, and resulted in lack of food and supplies. Clean, drinkable water was also hard to find; sometimes workers had to fill their canteens with filthy river water causing many to die from malnutrition and dysentery.
Even though the Central Pacific laborers had so much experience blasting tunnels out of the Sierra Mountains, one tunnel they had to create was considered an impossible task. That tunnel is known as Donner Summit. At 20 feet high and 1,659 feet long, it was going to be the longest tunnel the Central Pacific had ever blown. It was expected to be finished in 15 months using black powder, averaging only a foot a day. Progress was slow until it was decided that instead of black powder, they would use nitroglycerin to blast the tunnel.This sped up progress and on August 29, 1867 they completed Donner Summit, two months ahead of schedule.
During the building of the railroad, a rivalry developed between the two bosses, Thomas Durant and Charles Crocker. One owner was always trying to outdo the other in terms of laying down the most tracks. Once, Durant’s crew had laid a record of 8 miles of track in a day. Durant was very proud of the accomplishment and was constantly bragging about it to Crocker. He was so confident that no one could beat their record that he bet Crocker $10,000 that he couldn’t lay more track than they did in a day. Crocker accepted the offer and the next day his men worked harder than ever. At the end of the day, the Central Pacific had laid down 10 miles of track. As far as we know, Durant never paid Crocker the $10,000, but it’s a record that still stands to this day.
Many years had passed since breaking ground, and both companies were close to being finished with their part of the railroad. So the company directors came together and decided a place where the two builders would meet: Promontory Summit, Utah. On May 7, 1869 the Central Pacific arrived there with Charles Crocker riding on the train “Jupiter.” It was not until three days later that the Union Pacific arrived with train “#119” carrying Thomas Durant.
A special ceremony was held at Promontory Summit which is known today as the “Meeting of the Rails.” During the ceremony, the last four spikes were driven in. The first three were a gold-plated spike, a silver spike; and a spike comprised of gold, silver, and iron. The final spike is the most famous one of all and is commonly referred to as “The Golden Spike” or “The Last Spike.” According to some sources, “The Golden Spike” was to be driven in by Thomas Durant and Leland Stanford, but they were unable too. So eventually it was driven in by engineers Grenville Dodge and Dan Casement. There are still some conflicting accounts as to who actually drove it in.
Just a few feet from where the last spike was being driven in sat a telegraph operator, ready to announce the completion of the railroad. As soon as people had heard that the final spike had been driven in via a telegraph reading “DONE” the country erupted into celebration. The Liberty Bell was rung, a hundred guns were fired in New York, cannons were set off in San Francisco, and parades were held all over the country.
After six years of back-breaking labor and life threatening situations, the First Transcontinental Railroad was finally completed. The Union Pacific had laid down 1,087 miles of track and the Central Pacific boasted 690 miles of track, adding up to a total of 1,777 miles. Before, it could cost up to $1,000 and take many months to travel across the country. Now with the tracks in place, a $150 train ticket could take you from Omaha to Sacramento in just five days.
The goals for building the railroad were also accomplished. Ease of travel helped increase the population in the West and many cities were founded along the railroad route. Overall, it helped unite the country, strengthen it, and helped the world take notice that the United States of America is capable of immense achievements.
POSTED ON: 9/20/2011 at 10:25 AM
