Railroad in Utah
Set-Up Cornell Notes (IN Pages 74-75 Title: Railroad in Utah Essential Question: How did the Transcontinental Railroad impact Utah? ***Put your summary section on IN Page 75***
The Railroad Revolutionizes Transportation The issue: connecting the eastern United States to the western United States Solution: laying RR tracks to connect the country with a Transcontinental Railroad Advantages: speed and convenience
Two Railroad Companies Union Pacific- began laying tracks west from Omaha, Nebraska Central Pacific- began laying tracks east from Sacramento, California Meeting place: Ogden or Salt Lake City, Utah
Two Railroad Companies Union Pacific Hired immigrants from Ireland and other countries Laid track on flat prairie land (at first) Had to purchase lumber and have it shipped to create tracks (few trees where track was laid) Needed help from Utah once they reached the Rocky Mountains Central Pacific Hired immigrants from China Passed through the Sierra Nevada Mountains Had access to lots more lumber in the area Raced across the Great Basin of Nevada faster than expected
Dangerous Work Workers of both Railroad Companies dealt with harsh weather (extreme heat or bitter cold) Many died from the cold in the mountains and from accidents while setting off dynamite to blast through mountains
Brigham Young Helps the Union Pacific Young accepts contract for $2 million to build a roadbed from Echo Canyon through Weber Canyon They promised to run the tracks through Ogden & Salt Lake City President Ulysses S. Grant wanted the tracks to follow trails just north of Ogden so it didn’t initially run through SLC
Transcontinental Railroad
The Race Was On! The tracks from both railroad lines finally met on May 10, 1869 at the top of Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake The Golden Spike (actually made of gold!) was driven in to complete the merging of the two railroads Later, both railroads went to Ogden
Warm-Up (IN Page 78 TOP) What advantages and disadvantages did the Union Pacific face? The advantages for the Union Pacific were… The disadvantages for the Union Pacific were… What advantages and disadvantages did the Central Pacific face? The advantages for the Central Pacific were… The disadvantages for the Central Pacific were… Where was the RR supposed to meet? The RR was supposed to meet in… Why was working on the RR difficult? Working on the RR was difficult because…
The Railroad Changes Utah Trains were very important for moving raw materials from mines to manufacturing centers Trains created new markets for produce & meat The railroad brought in goods that were much cheaper than those made in Utah Trains increased the number of converts, settlers and tourists coming to Utah Rail lines linked major cities