What was the transcontinental railroad designed to move?
Western agricultural products, coal, and minerals could move freely to the east coast. Just as the Civil War united North and South, the transcontinental railroad united East and West. Passengers and freight could reach the west coast in a matter of days instead of months at one-tenth the cost.
What was the transcontinental railroad used for?
Just as it opened the markets of the west coast and Asia to the east, it brought products of eastern industry to the growing populace beyond the Mississippi. The railroad ensured a production boom, as industry mined the vast resources of the middle and western continent for use in production.
What were the transcontinental railroads?
A transcontinental railroad in the United States is any continuous rail line connecting a location on the U.S. Pacific coast with one or more of the railroads of the nation’s eastern trunk line rail systems operating between the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers and the U.S. Atlantic coast.
Where was the First Transcontinental Railroad in America?
The First Transcontinental Railroad (known originally as the “Pacific Railroad” and later as the “Overland Route”) was a 1,912-mile (3,077 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay.
Why was it important to build the transcontinental railroad?
There were both positive and negative reasons from building the transcontinental railroad. The positive effects of building the transcontinental railroad were creating jobs for poor citizens, development in the industries and economies, allowed more immigrants to come to the country, and provide access to jobs outside of the west.
Who are the two companies in the transcontinental railroad?
Two Competing Companies: The Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad
When was the Transcontinental Railroad completed in Utah?
Transcontinental railroad completed, unifying United States. On this day in 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.