The American Railroad

 In 1850, steam-powered ships provided much of nation’s transportation  Before Civil War, most railroad tracks were short lines in the East  Limitations included: –No standard track width –Unreliable brakes –Lack of standardized signals

Miles of Railroad Track in the United States  1840 – 3,000  1850 – 9,000  1860 – 30,000  1916 – Over 250,000 (peak mileage)  Today – 170,000

Transcontinental Railroad  Authorized by Pacific Railway Act of 1862  Lines already reached west to the Mississippi River  New rails would be laid between Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, California  Government incentives were crucial to the tracks’ construction

Why were incentives needed?  Private investors saw no likelihood of profit in building RR beyond line of civilization  Congress believed a coast to coast track would strengthen economic infrastructure  Awarded huge loans and grants to railroads (Pacific Railway Acts)

 Central Pacific began laying track eastward out of Sacramento  Union Pacific began laying track westward in Omaha  Most workers were immigrants –Irish workers on Union Pacific –Chinese on Central Pacific  Two sides met in Promontory, UT on May 10, 1869

Land Runs  Beginning in 1889, several “land runs/rushes” occurred  “Unassigned” (surplus) lands in Oklahoma Territory  “Boomers” registered at local land offices, then rushed at a given time to stake their claim

Oklahoma Land Run of 1889