Transcontinental Railroad 8 th grade American Studies Mr. Norred

The Transcontinental Railroad In 1862 President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act creating two railroad companies to compete in completing a railroad from coast to coast. Select where you would like to begin your learning. Union PacificConstruction Central Pacific

Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad was lead by “the big four” – Leland Stanford, president – Collis Huntington, vice-president – Charles Crocker, field manager – Mark Hopkins, treasurer

Route The Central Pacific started in Sacramento, California and built eastward. Central Pacific

Problems Mountains (Sierra Nevada) – Snow – How do you get through mountains? Supplies – Distance they had to travel from the east coast Took 3-7 months to receive them Financial – The “big four” had to build the first 200 miles of track with their own money

Workers With more and more workers leaving the railroad to search for gold and silver, Crocker hired some ten thousand Chinese. – Why? Cheap – Less than a dollar a day Worked jobs that others refused Performed with consummate skill under horrible conditions

Quiz Who was not a member of the “big four”? A.Charles Crocker B.Collis Huntington C.Theodore Judah D.Leland Stanford

CORRECT!!! Nice job you remembered the “big four” consisted of Hopkins, Stanford, Crocker and Huntington. Theodore Judah had the idea of a transcontinental railroad but was not a member of the “big four”. Move on to the next question.

Are you sure?? Maybe we should go back and review what we learned. Make sure you look over the key players of the Central Pacific Railroad. Permission to use image is being sought.

Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad was lead by “the big four” – Leland Stanford, president – Collis Huntington, vice-president – Charles Crocker, field manager – Mark Hopkins, treasurer

Quiz Click on all the problems the Central Pacific ran into during construction. Native AmericansWorkers Leaving Mountains Tornadoes Lack of MoneySupply Issues BuffaloSnow Return to the home slide and pick a new topic.

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad was lead by: – Thomas Durant, vice president and active head of the railroad – Oaks Ames, principal financial backer – Grenville Dodge, lead construction – John and Dan Casement, organized the workers and handled money Dodge Durant

Route The Union Pacific started in Omaha, Nebraska and built westward. Union Pacific

Problems Native Americans ( Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho ) – Destroyed track – Attacked workers Weather – Rain brought floods, washed out the tracks – Tornadoes Terrain – Flood Plains – The Snake River

Workers The Union Pacific had a difficult time finding workers early on. – Things changed in Civil War ended – Ex-slaves needed work – Former soldiers needed work – Irish labor from New York Cheap

Quiz Through what states did the Union Pacific build tracks? A. California, Utah, Nevada B. Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming C. Nebraska, Colorado, Utah D. California, Colorado, Utah

CORRECT!!! Nice job!! By using the map, you were able to discover through what states the Union Pacific laid track. Move on to the next question.

Are you sure?? Maybe you should go back and review the map of the route and look at what states the track goes through. Permission to use image is being sought.

Route The Union Pacific started in Omaha, Nebraska and built westward. Union Pacific

True or False The end of the American Civil War had a large impact on the Union Pacific Railroad. TrueFalse

Correct!! Nice Job!! The American Civil War provided the Union Pacific with thousand of workers. Former soldiers needed work and the Union Pacific provided them jobs. Return to the home page and pick a new topic.

INCORRECT!! Go back and review the problems the Union Pacific faced. Finding workers was an ongoing issue until the war ended. Permission to use image is being sought.

Workers The Union Pacific had time finding workers early on. – Things changed in Why? – Civil War ended – Former soldiers needed work – Irish labor from New York Cheap

Construction Jobs – Surveyor Avoid steep grade find shortest route – Graders Level and smooth track bed Tough work, 12 hour days

Construction Jobs Continued – Rail Setters Laid the rails Tough physical work – Spikers Laid spikes every 4 feet 8 1/2 “ Spikes were 6 inches long Three swings per spike – Tampers Followed with gravel or sand to fill between ties

Cost The government would provide subsidies for the amount of track the companies laid – Flat land $16,000 per mile – Mountain country $48,000 per mile

Summary On May 10, 1869 the two companies met at Promontory Point, Utah. The Central Pacific set a record of laying 10 miles of track in one day, a record that stands today. Proceed to review question

Quiz If a company laid down 10 miles of track on flat land and 20 miles over mountain country, how much money would the government provide? A.$800,000 B.$1,120,000 C.$480,000 D.$1,440,000

Are you sure?? Maybe we should go back and review what we learned. Make sure you look over what the government pays for the different types of land. Permission to use image is being sought.

Cost The government would provide subsidies for the amount of track the companies laid – Flat Land $16,000 per mile – Mountain country $48,000 per mile

Correct!! Nice Job!! You figured out that the government pays $16,000 per mile of flat land and $48,000 for mountain country. Return home