First transcontinental railroad is completed - May 10, 1869

[Silver Creek Slim]

First transcontinental railroad is completed

At Promontory, Utah, California Governor Leland Stanford pounds in a ceremonial golden spike that completes the nation's first transcontinental railway. After failing to hit the spike on his first attempt, Stanford raised the heavy sledgehammer again and struck a solid square blow. For the first time in American history, railways linked together east and west, the realization of a dream that began two decades earlier.

Americans had been enthusiastic railroaders long before the transcontinental line was built. In 1850, more than 9,000 miles of track covered the United States. By 1860, the number had risen to over 30,000 miles, more miles of rail than the rest of the world altogether. Initially, most of the construction had been in the nation's growing industrial centers in the Northeast, but by 1860, railways were rapidly expanding into the upper Midwest.

Congress began considering how best to support the building of a transcontinental line in the late 1840s. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 made the issue all the more urgent: only a transcontinental railway could effectively tie that far-off region to the rest of the nation. Northern and southern politicians, however, disagreed over where the line should be constructed, and the project stalled for more than a decade.

The outbreak of the Civil War finally broke the stalemate. Unencumbered by southern objections, northern legislatures approved a central route from Omaha, Nebraska, to Sacramento, California. More importantly, in 1862 and 1864 Congress passed acts that gave huge cash subsidies and land grants to private companies that agreed to build the tracks across the continent.

Recognizing a moneymaking opportunity, two companies took up the challenge. The California-based Central Pacific began laying tracks eastward from Sacramento. The eastern-based Union Pacific began in Omaha and built west. The laborers working for the Central Pacific faced the greater challenge-building across the rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains. As a result, their progress was naturally slower than that of the work force of the Union Pacific, who managed to average a mile a day over mostly flat terrain. The Central Pacific crew was primarily Chinese immigrants, while Irish immigrants dominated the Union Pacific. Toward the end of the project, the two sides engaged in a bitter rivalry that at times took on unpleasant racist overtones. Both groups, however, labored heroically in difficult and frequently dangerous conditions, often working as long as 15 hours each day.

When the two lines connected at Promontory in northern Utah, it was the beginning of a dramatic transformation of the West. A 3,000-mile journey that had previously taken months to complete could now take only days by rail. More importantly, the abundant resources of the West could be shipped quickly and profitably to insatiable eastern markets, greatly spurring the development of the western economy. In years to come, thousands of emigrants rode the rails westward to homestead land, encroaching on Native American territories and hastening the demise of their way of life. Perhaps more than any other single event, the completion of the transcontinental railroad enabled the American conquest and settlement of the West.

[Dr. Bob]

Howdy Slim,

Great info!!

Congress authrized 5 Rail Road Route surveys that began in 1853.  From North to South, the began at;

49th Parallel, the boundry with Canada.

Omaha, 44th parallel.

Westport [Kansas City] 37th & 38th parallel.  No good way through the mountains.  Commanded by Capt. John Gunnison who was killed by a party of Indians and Mormons.

Ft. Smith, AR 34th paralle.

Souther boundry from Austin IIRC.  This party found that the best route lay through northern Mexico, which lead to the Gadsden Purchase which added to southern NM & AZ which compleed the lower 48 states area in 1855.

These surveys were conducted by the US Army Corps of Topographical Engineers.  In addition to locating the most advantageous route, they identified plants and animals unique to the West.  Civilian scientists were invited to join the various expeditions, though they received no salary, they had the opportunity to discover new species and gain scientific reputations.  Each expedition documented all of it's activities which were combined into a report that has 13 volumes.  They include a large number of hand colored plates of new plant and animal species, scenic illustrations [this was before photography was improved to the point that it could be taken into the field] and maps.  Wish that I could afford a set.

I have done living history of both the Gunnison and Abert [35th parallel] expeditions.  I find this project fascinating.  I avoid the period 1856 - 1865 but I know that Slim is right about the fighting about which route to use.

[Delmonico]

In the NCOWS Chambers we were discussing when the Frontier ended, with no concensus.  This gets my vote as the begaining of the end, even if the end took almost 50 more years.  The changes this, the spur lines and the other lines wrought are great, from my point of study add the new refrigerator cars and perishable foods can be sent both ways even in the summer, but at a cost. 

[Trailrider]

Howdy, Pards,

It isn't mentioned much, but the "Driving of the Golden Spike" at Promentory Point did NOT mean you could travel from coast to coast by rail without stopping!  The main obstacle was the Missouri River, which separated Omaha, Nebraska, from Council Bluffs, Iowa!  Until (I think...haven't time to check) 1876 or so, you had to take a ferry from CB to Omaha, then get on the Union Pacific train there. They finally built a bridge across the Missouri about 1875 or '76, which meant you didn't have to change trains or get your feet wet!

The other major rail lines that were built came in the post-CW period, into the 1880's.  These included the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads from Minneapolis to the Pacific coast, the Missouri-Pacific and Kansas Pacific along the south-central routes, and the Santa Fe.  There were, of course, a multitude of mid-length and shortline railroads, most of which were absorbed into bigger and bigger conglomerates.  When the Interstate Commerce Act was made into law, it limited the mergers.  However, other means of getting around this were found via interlocking directorships, etc.  For example, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad bought up a number of smaller lines (Burlington & Missouri River, etc.) in the 1870's and '80's, but controlling interests in the "Q" were bought up by James J. Hill, called "The Empire Builder", and so the "Q" was controlled by the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific, though operated as though it was separate.  Likewise, the NP and the GN had interests in each other.  In the 20th Century, they ran trains from Chicago to Spokane, WA, such as the "Empire Builder" (GN) and the "North Coast Limited" (NP).  But coming out of Chicago, the trains were often pulled by Burlington Route locomotives.  Likewise, all three lines owned equipment painted in each others paint schemes!  It wasn't until 1969 that the ICC permitted the "merger" of the three lines into the Burlington-Northern (which had the most gosh-awful green, white and black paint schemes on their diesel locomotives...IMHO).  The B-N also absorbed the Spokane, Portland & Seattle.

Going south, the Santa Fe and the Denver & Rio Grande Western fought for trackage rights from Denver southward.  That's another story, with a bunch of gunfighters being hired by both sides, though the courts settled things without any gun battles.  Recently, however, the Santa Fe absorbed the D&RGW, and more recently the Burlington Northern bought the whole shebang!  So now we see coal trains heading back and forth from Wyoming to southern Colorado with BNSF on the "motors"!

The UP eventually merged with the Central Pacific, and the Western Pacific and in the late 20th Century, the UP gobbled up the Northwestern, and the Milwaukee Road, etc.  Of course the surviving railroads only haul freight.  This thing called Amtrak takes passengers, when you can find a train going to and from where you want to go...if you have the time to enjoy the trains.

The USPS no longer operates railway post offices, and the various express shippers have turned into banks, so unless they wanted something to build a fire, Jesse and Frank James would starve to death trying to hold up any trains!  (Pretty hard to stop a 105 car unit coal train, even if your horse could keep up with it!)

Everything is "diseasels".  Can't "stick your head out the window an' watch those drivers roll!  No more cabooses (cabeese? way cars, cabin cars).

Railroading may be big business, but IMHO, they've taken all the romance out of it!

[Fly Cop Fry]

I'm reasonably sure that Dr. Bob knew the correct date and simply made a keying error, the date of the Gadsden Purchase was Dec 30, 1853 vs 1855.

Additions to Slim's great post.

The two competing railroad crews/owners were getting paid to build track so as they approached their joining they actually built track parallel to each other for some miles until Pomentory was selected as the connection point.

Also, on a bet Stanford's Central Pacific layed 10 miles of track in one day as they neared Pomentory.

[Uncle Stinky]

Great grand dad was @ the Promentory Pt. festivities whilst in the employ of the UP. I don't imagine much work was done next day except for GGD and his Mormon associates. No hangovers!

[Guage Rod]

Trail rider, great summary of the present mergers of the Railroad industy, there are a couple of points I would like to correct.  There was one late commer to the "Transcon" Rwys that actualy made it out West around the late 1890's.  It was latter to be know as the Milwaukee road and they had several long streatches out west that were actualy electified.  The MILW and the Rock Island both went the Way of the DOODOO bird in the late 1970's and early 1980's, they were both largly redundent lines in the Mid-west.  Any of their main lines that were viable were purhcased by other properties.  The present day IOWA INTERSTATE is one of the largest portions of the old Rock Island still intact.     

The Union Pacific bought both the CNW and SP routes in the mid 1990's.  Prior to the UP's purchase of the SP, the SP had Purchased the DRG&W (SP also owning large interests in the Cotton Belt).  The UP prior to this had Gobled up the Western Pacific and the Misourri Pacific in in the early 1980's.  The UP is currently the Largest Railway in the US for millage and employees.

The CB&Q did indeed merge with the NP and the GN as well as the FRISCO route about the same time.  The Q was also the largest sharge holders in the Colorado Southern which was absorbed around this same time.

Then in the Late 1990's the BN merged with ATSF, and became the second Larges RWY in the US.  Prior to this time the BN was the largest Rwy.

At one time in the 1950's there were over 45 Class I railways in the US and most all of them were running passenger service.  Today there are only 7 class I rwys in the US.  THey are The UP, BNSF, N&S, the CSX, CNIC, KCS, CP-SOO.  These Roads constitue about 90 percent of the route miles in the united states.

The industry has come full circle though and there are now over 150 regional and short line rwys that make up the remainder of the industry.


It was at one time stated in the state of Iowa  prior to the Great Deppression, that it was impossible to drive more than 7 miles in any direction with out going over a RWY Crossing, those days are long gone of course.
 
Vaya Con Dios Amiogos     
   

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Great post(s) !!!  Thanks for the mini history lesson.

[N40W111]

Hey...
Like Uncle Stinky, my great grandfather William Neeley is in that famous picture on May 10, 1869 at Promontory.
He's one of the guys up front on the right side with his hands on his lapels as I remember (don't have the picture in front of me).
I figger I have a pedigree to be an "Old Wester" with thems credentials!! That's one of the reasons I got so interested in CAS in the first place...it's in my genes.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

When my Dad came home from WW II and settled here with Mom, He worked for the Pennsylvania Rail Road. From about 1946 to about 1957 or so. I can remember going down to the station to see him and watching the trains come through. Also remember The RailWay Express Agency and their red and green trucks. Believe they're now UPS............Buck

[kurt250]

well worth the trip out to promitory. they have two  reproduction steam locomotives there that the run. they also reinact the driving of the golden spike event. i went there for the 125 year reinactment. was a great trip. you can still drive on the old railroad bed.kurt250