What made the railroad possible in 1862?
Much of the growth can be attributed to the building of the transcontinental railroads. In 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act, which authorized the construction of a transcontinental railroad.
How did the railroad get built?
The transcontinental railroad was built in six years almost entirely by hand. Workers drove spikes into mountains, filled the holes with black powder, and blasted through the rock inch by inch. They placed explosives in each hole, lit the fuses, and were, hopefully, pulled up before the powder was detonated.
How did they build railroads in the 1800s?
The first railroads – literally rail-roads – were built by privately, by companies, towns and states. Any one having horses and wagons with flanged (rimmed) wheels could use the railway on the payment of a small sum of money.
What made the completion of the transcontinental railroad possible?
On May 10, 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads meet in Promontory, Utah, and drive a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connects their railroads. This made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history.
When did the construction of the railroads begin?
Beginning in the early 1870s, railroad construction in the United States increased dramatically. Prior to 1871, approximately 45,000 miles of track had been laid. Between 1871 and 1900, another 170,000 miles were added to the nation’s growing railroad system. Much of the growth can be attributed to the building of the transcontinental railroads.
Who was in charge of construction of the Central Pacific Railroad?
In 1865, after struggling with retaining workers due to the difficulty of the labor, Charles Crocker (who was in charge of construction for the Central Pacific) began hiring Chinese laborers. By that time, some 50,000 Chinese immigrants were living on the West Coast, many having arrived during the Gold Rush.
How many cars were needed to build the Union Pacific Railroad?
Dodge wrote, “To supply one mile of track with material and supplies required about forty cars, as on the plains everything – rails, ties, bridging, fastenings, all railway supplies, fuel for locomotives and trains, and supplies for men and animals on the entire work – had to be transported from the Missouri River.
What did the Union Pacific Railroad workers get paid?
Eradicating much of the bison population provided an earlier end to the hostilities than otherwise might have been the case. Union Pacific construction train 1866. Westward construction continued. The workers, many of them Irish immigrants or veterans of the Civil War, were paid the average of a dollar a day.