The Transcontinental Railroad By Martin Ji

 The Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad that revolutionized Utah.  It brought an easier way to transport people and supplies.  This report will tell you more about this railroad. What was the Transcontinental Railroad?

A path of the railroad

 So they could send people and supplies east and west quickly and efficiently. Why did they want to build a giant railroad?

 Because of the lack of workers that could be hired due to mining, the union used mostly immigrants from different countries.  The union had around 8,000 to 10,000 Irish, German, and Italian immigrants working for them. What kind of people worked for the Union Pacific?

 Like the union, they used mostly immigrants.  They hired over 10,000 Chinese men. What kind of people worked for the central pacific?

 They slept on a special room on the train. The room was filled with beds that the workers slept on.  They also slept in tents near the track.  They also ate in a room on the train. Where did the workers sleep and eat?

 They didn’t have a lot of problems with food since they were near towns with many supplies.  They also didn’t have problems with building until the very end when they had to pass the mountains.  They also had to deal with Indians who disliked the railroad in their territory. What problems did the Union Pacific have?

 A long list of problems: 1. Lack of supplies 2. The Sierra Nevada Mountains 3. The cold winters of the mountains 4. Indians 5. And much more What Problems did the Central Pacific have?

 Indians. They tried many things to stop the railroad.  They even uprooted tracks so the train would crash. Who disliked the railroad?

 A town that followed the railroad like a traveling circus.  The rules were: 1. As long as it doesn’t bother the building of the railroad, it’s okay. What was “Hell on Wheels”?

 A lot of violent, unsanitary people, like: 1. Gamblers 2. Saloon Keepers 3. Petty Merchants 4. Etc. What kind of people lived in “Hell on Wheels”?

 On May 10 th, 1869, on Promontory Summit, two trains faced each other.  One was Jupiter of Central Pacific.  One was No. 119 of Union Pacific.  On, that day, the two railroads were united, and the railroad was finally done. When and where did the two teams meet?

The two teams meet!

 The last spike that was given by David Hewes.  It had telegraph wires connected to it so that when it was driven in, it would send a message across the U.S.  No one knows who drove in the golden spike. What was the Golden Spike?

The Golden Spike

 Yes, there were three other spikes that represented something: 1. A silver spike represented Nevada 2. A second golden spike represented San Francisco News Letter 3. A spike that was mixed with many metals represented Arizona. Were there any other spikes?

 One simple word:  DONE What did the telegraph say when the golden spike was driven in?

 The spikes were removed and replaced by normal iron spikes.  The trains Jupiter and No. 119 were scrapped for iron. What happened after?

 Because of the faster way of transporting ores, the interest of mining greatly increased. Why did the interest of mining grow?

 Why is this important to Utah?  Because the railroad let people and supplies in and out of Utah very quickly.  It also made many stores close down because of the cheap prices of the Train’s merchandise.  But it brought mostly good things. Conclusion

 Utah State Historical Society. “Transcontinental Railroad”. State Gov. Web. February 14 th -23 rd  Uschan, Michael V. “The Transcontinental Railroad”: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2009, Print Bibliography