The Need for a Transcontinental Railroad

When the first railroad in the United States, the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, was completed in 1828, people began traveling by train. It was a new, much quicker way of traveling; it was certainly an improvement over riding horses and walking. Although it was new and faster, nobody at the time could imagine a railroad that would span the continent. At that time, the West was largely unsettled, and there was no need for a transcontinental railroad.

However, with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill, California in late 1848 came thousands of people hoping to strike it rich in that gold country. There were no railroads in that area at the time, so people had to either take the torturous five month journey through the Great Plains via the California Trail or take the even more torturous eight month journey around South America. Both had their disadvantages and risks, but they were the only routes to California.

It was at this time that people began contemplating the benefits of building a transcontinental railroad across the United States. Onto the scene came Theodore Judah, a civil engineer who had been railroading since the age of 13. In 1854, he gained experience building railroads by building a railroad in the Sacramento Valley. Judah was obsessed with the idea of building a transcontinental railroad, and he did everything he could to convince people to invest in its construction. Some didn't believe it could be done; he was often called "Crazy Judah."

After several years of planning, Judah went to Washington DC to propose his construction plans. At this time, however, the US government was dealing with increasing pressures in the South, which would eventually lead to the American Civil War. A bit disappointed, Judah went back to California, where he continued to work on his plans.

By 1860, Judah had many plans for the railroad, but he didn't know how to get past the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In October of that year, Daniel Strong showed Judah the long-abandoned trail that the Donner Party had used to get across the Sierra Nevadas many years before. Agter gazing upon the route, Judah decided that this would be the route that the transcontinental railroad would take past the Sierra Nevadas.

Theodore Judah (public domain photo)

Immediately, Judah and Strong returned to Sacramento and wrote articles of incorporation for the Central Pacific Railroad Company, which would be instrumental in the construction of the railroad. He also found some investors for the company: Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker and his brother E. B. Crocker, and Leland Stanford. Together, these businessmen were called The Associates; a few years later they were known as The Big Four.

The next year, Judah returned to Washington DC to propose his new plan. The American Civil War was being fought at the time of his return, so many government officials ignored Judah; however, Abraham Lincoln, who had recently been elected president, supported Judah and worked with him to put it into effect. On July 1, 1862, Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law, which allowed the railroad to be built and was instrumental in the forming of the Union Pacific Railroad Company.

Early Construction (1863 - 1865)

On January 8, 1863, the city of Sacramento, California was in full celebration. A brass band was persent, and was playing music as construction crews for the Central Pacific Railroad prepared to commence work on their half of the nation's first transcontinental railroad. After the brass band stopped playing, Leland Stanford stepped up and took the first shovelful of dirt out of the ground, signaling the official beginning of the construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

The earliest work done on the Central Pacific side was purely grading; until late 1863, no rails or ties were laid, no spikes were driven. Theodore Judah didn't like the slow progress, and more importantly he no longer trusted The Big Four, thinking that they were more itnerested in money than the railroad. In the summer of 1863, Judah met with The Big Four; the meeting eventually turned into a violent argument. It ended with The Big Four telling Judah that if he didn't buy them out, they'd buy him out.

As a result, in the fall of 1863, Judah took a boat to the East (going around South America) to look for Eastern investors. While traveling, however, he caught yellow fever, and was sick for most of the journey. When he finally made it to Manhattan, he was quickly hospitalized. On October 26, the first rails of the transcontinental railroad were laid by the Central Pacific Railroad Company. Before the news reached Judah, however, he died.

Meanwhile, an eastern terminus for the transcontinental railroad had not been chosen. Many suggestions were made, but in November 1863, Council Bluffs, Iowa was chosen as the eastern terminus. Despite this, the Union Pacific Railroad Company began construction of their half of the transcontinental railroad just outside of Omaha, Nebraska, which eventually became the eastern terminus of the railroad. Thomas C. Durant, an ophthamologist, was chosen to be the vice president of the company; he instructed the construction crews to commence grading in 1863.

By 1865, the companies were doing well financially. Thomas Durant raised $2.2 million by selling and buying Union Pacific stocks and used that money to officially take charge of the company. The Central Pacific Railroad had received $2 million in bonds by the spring of 1865. Despite the financial success of both companies, very little progress had been made. The Central Pacific Railroad had only laid 40 miles of tracks ince the beginning of construction, and the Union Pacific Railroad had graded only 50 miles over the smoothest terrain and had not laid any tracks.

Omaha, Nebraska in 1868 (public domain photo)

About this time, the government threatened to withdraw their support from the Union Pacific Railroad Company unless they began laying tracks at once. Durant immediately ordered his crews to start laying tracks, and by the end of 1865, the 50 miles of grading had been covered with tracks. Despite the new motivation, progress was still slow, as there were relatively few workers for both railroads.

At this time, however, both companies received a large influx of workers. The Central Pacific Railroad tried to put out a call for 1,000 workers; only 50 potential workers showed up. Charles Crocker then proposed that Chinese workers be used. James Strobridge, superintendent of construction for the company, didn't believe it would work, complaining that the Chinese were physically incapable of the work load. Crocker, however, was adamant, and proposed that the company employ 50 Chinese workers as a test to see if they could handle the work load. They proved to be great workers, and by 1866, 6,000 Chinese people worked for the Central Pacific Railroad.

The workforce of the Union Pacific Railroad was expanded after the end of the American Civil War. Thousands of soldiers for both the Union and Confederate armies were now out of work, and needed employment. The Union Pacific Railroad hired thousands of these ex-soldiers, who were mostly of Irish and Cornish descent. General Grenville Dodge of the Union Army was hired as the chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad.

Progress during this early construction period was very minimal, but by 1866, railroad construction began to speed up.

The Race Picks Up (1865 - 1868)

By the end of 1865, both the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad Companies were far behind schedule; very little track had been laid. But in that year, both railroad companies received an influx of workers. The Central Pacific hired thousands of Chinese immigrants, and the Union Pacific hired thousands of former Civil War soldiers from both the Union and Confederate armies. As 1866 drew nearer, the rate at which both companies built the railroad increased.

The Union Pacific Railroad built quickly across the Great Plains, laying about three miles of track in a single day; occasionally the Union Pacific crews would lay four or five miles of track in one day. By comparison, the Central pacific was laying only about half a mile of track a day, but they were crossing mountainous terrain and blasting tunnels while building at that rate.

The Central Pacific had to create eleven tunnels through the Sierra Nevadas, as some of the terrain was too steep for grading. During the early stages of tunnel construction, black powder was used; however, progress was measured in only a few inches per day. Three crews worked on one tunnel; two dug from opposite sides while a third dug from the middle, accessing that point from a vertical shaft. The work was very long and tedious, but black powder was relatively stable and safe.

Artist's depiction of Summit Tunnel, the longest tunnel drilled by the C. P. R. R. Company (courtesy Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, Missouri)

The Central Pacific Railroad's superintendent of construction, James Strobridge, did not like the slow progress that crews were making on the tunnels, so he searched for other means to blast tunnels. He found that liquid nitroglycerine, although unstable, was a lot more powerful than black powder, and would definitely speed up construction. Strobridge had problems locating it, since it was illegal in the United States, but a businessman offered to mix the nitroglycerine at the site of construction. Once the crews started using nitroglycerine, progress was measured in feet rather than inches, and tunnels were completed quickly. By the end of 1867, the Central Pacific Railroad had laid about 100 miles of track.

Meanwhile, on the Union Pacific side, construction was going very well. Before the crews reached the Rocky Mountains, no major obstacles had to be overcome, and construction went by a lot faster than it did in California with the Central Pacific Railroad Company. The only thing that was concerning was the Plains Indians. Grenville Dodge, superintendent of construction for the Union Pacific Railroad Company, called William Tecumseh Sherman, a former Union Army General who led successful military campaigns in the South, to take care of the Indian problems. Sherman saw no major concerns, and refused to send in the army.

It was during this time that the first railroad camps came into existence. In 1866, the Central Pacific Railroad Company established Cisco, California, and the Union Pacific Railroad Company established North Platte, Nebraska. Both Cisco and North Platte, and most railroad camps after them, were called Hell-on-Wheels towns, and for good reason. These towns were known as the most violent and crooked towns in the country, being full of saloons, brothels, and gambling dens, along with other unrespectable businesses. With the exception of a few towns, these camps had very short lives; for a day or two crews would live in these towns, which consisted mostly of tents, then after construction in the area ended they would pack up the tents and supplies and move to another spot, where the tents would be put back into place, hence "Hell-on-Wheels."

By the beginning of 1868, both companies were moving at a relatively fast pace. The Union Pacific had laid over 500 miles of track, and the Central Pacific over 100. But the real race was yet to come.

A Closer Look: Railroad Camps

As construction crews for the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad Companies worked on the railroad, they needed a place to unwind and sleep after a hard day's work. They also needed to consider building depots where trains could stop and passengers could either get off or board the train. As a result, the concept of railroad towns was born.

Below: A building in Corinne, Utah (own work)

As construction on the railroad progressed, many tent towns were set up at night and torn down the next day. Known as Hell-on-Wheels camps, very few of them became permanent. These camps, though short-lived, were known as the most volatile and undesirable locations anywhere in the country. Gambling, murder, and drinking were very common in these camps; they were not very desirable locations.

Occasionally, these Hell-on-Wheels camps would be in just the right spot to serve as a terminus or division point. These lucky few towns became permanent. The first of these towns, Cisco, California, was established by the Central Pacific Railroad Company. Initially known as Heaton Station, it was renamed Cisco when a post office was established in 1866. The first permanent town established by the Union Pacific Railroad Company was North Platte, Nebraska, also established in 1866.

As the railroads continued to build, more and more Hell-on-Wheels camps were settling down to become permanent. From 1867 - 1869, both railroad companies established several permanent towns as well as numerous short-lived Hell-on-Wheels camps. Below is a list of the permanent railroad towns that the Union Pacific established:

• North Platte, Nebraska; established in 1866





• Cheyenne, Wyoming; established in 1867





• Laramie, Wyoming; established in 1868





• Wahsatch, Utah; established in 1868





• Castle Rock, Utah; established in 1868





• Echo, Utah; established in 1869





• Corinne, Utah; established in 1869

Below is a list of the permanent railroad towns that the Central Pacific established:

• Cisco, California; established in 1866





• Elko, Nevada; established in 1868





• Carlin, Nevada; established in 1868





• Lucin, Utah; established in 1869





• Terrace, Utah; established in 1869





• Kelton, Utah; established in 1869





• Promontory, Utah; established in 1869

Although these railroad towns lasted much longer than their short-lived counterparts, many of them are now uninhabited ghost towns. In contrast, some of them have evolved into modern, attractive cities, while still others are small but still inhabited. These railroad camps make up a very interesting chapter in the history of railroading.

A Closer Look: 10 Miles in One Day

In 1869, both the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies were moving full steam ahead. The competition to see who could reach Utah Territory first was over, but the race to finish the railroad wasn't. Jack Casement, one of the people in charge of construction for the Union Pacific Railroad, took pride in the fact that his crews had laid five miles of track in one day. When Charles Crocker, one of the people in charge of the Central Pacific Railroad, heard of this, he ordered his crews to work harder, and they laid six miles of track in a day. Casement heard of this and beat Crocker by having his crews lay seven and a half miles of track in a day.

Eventually, it came to a point where Charles Crocker bet Thomas Durant, President of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, $10,000 that his crews could lay ten miles of track in one day. Such a feat had never been attempted, and Durant thought that he could easily make money off the bet, so he accepted.

On April 28, 1869, the Central Pacific Railroad crews got up and were at work by 7:00 AM. The crews worked as quickly as theyc ould, quicker than they ever had. The crews only got one break that day, a lunch break, then it was right back to work. Their speed was unmatched by any before them, as they averaged about a mile of track per hour. By the end of the day, the crew had laid 3,520 rails, used 55,000 spikes and 14,080 bolts, and laid a few feet more than 10 miles of track.

Although Durant lost the bet, there is no record of him ever paying Crocker. Ten miles of track in a single day was the world record at the time, and it remains the record today. The site of the completion of this amazing feat can still be visited by taking an auto tour along the old transcontinental railroad grade from Promontory Summit.

*Photo is public domain

The Race Ends (1868 - 1869)

"Build with the Devil behind you and Heaven ahead of you!" ~~ Collis Huntington, 1868

By early 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad Company had finally built across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and was now building on easier terrain. The rate at which tracks were laid increased from half a mile in 1866 to a mile in 1868. The 1864 amendment to the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 gave the Central Pacific permission to build past the California border into Nevada and Utah Territory, and it did so beginning in the first months of 1868.

Meanwhile, the Union Pacific Railroad Company began to slow down as they reached the Rocky Mountains. Both the Union Pacific and Central Pacific were competing to see which company could get to Utah Territory first, and although the Union Pacific had an early lead, the Central Pacific was picking up steam as the Union Pacific was slowing down. Grenville Dodge pushed the Union Pacific crews to work hard through the mountains. Having heard that the Central Pacific used nitroglycerine to drill their tunnels, the Union Pacific did the same.

In late 1867, Brigham Young prepared for the arrival of the railroad. Originally, both companies had told Young that they would build through Salt Lake City and on to a meeting point south of the Great Salt Lake. This excited Young, as it meant thousands of people and many goods traveling from the East coast to the West coast would pass through Salt Lake City. As they drew nearer to Utah, the companies sent out surveyors to find a good meeting point south of the Great Salt Lake.

In the spring of 1868, the Union Pacific Railroad Company neared Utah Territory, having already built through much of Wyomin. Brigham Young immediately offered the Union Pacific Railroad Company a $2,125,000 contract and 4,000 Mormon workers to help build the railroad through the Wasatch Range and down to Salt Lake City. The company immediately accepted this contract and allowed the young Mormons to work for them.

By the end of 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad Company was nearing Carlin, Nevada, and the Union Pacific had built through Evanston, Wyoming and was moving fast toward Utah Territory. At this time, the Central Pacific had laid 446 miles of track and the Union Pacific had 995 miles. On Christmas day, 1868, the Union Pacific Railroad Company passed the border of Wyoming and Utah Territory and established a camp called Wahsatch, probably named after the Wasatch Mountains.

At this time, the Union Pacific Railroad Company told Brigham Young that surveyors had found that a route north of the Great Salt Lake would be better than a route south of the lake. Although it is highly debated, some historians say that the Union Pacific had already decided to build north of the lake when Brigham Young offered a contract. Despite the disappointment, Young’s contract stood and the company continued to use the Mormon workers.

By the beginning of 1869, both companies were building through Utah Territory. The Central Pacific established many railroad towns at this time, among them Lucin, Terrace, Watercress, and Kelton. The Union Pacific established Echo and Castle Rock, and helped to build a terminus town in Box Elder County called Corinne, which is a small farming town today. Also during this time, the grading crews of both companies were grading right past each other, sometimes coming as close as one hundred feet from each other. Nobody could decide where the railroad would be completed. Union Pacific built into Ogden on March 8, 1869 and through Corinne in April 1869.

On April 10, 1869, Congress declared that the railroads would meet at Promontory Summit, and the crews immediately stopped grading past each other and started grading to Promontory Summit. By the end of April, the grading was completed but the track laying wasn’t. At this time, the small Hell-on-Wheels camp known as Promontory experienced a large boom in activity.

The “Wedding of the Rails” was planned for May 7, 1869, but rain storms had damaged Union Pacific tracks near Wahsatch, so the ceremony was delayed until May 10. From May 8-9, rain fell at Promontory Summit as construction crews for the two companies kept the trestles and tracks in repair.


On May 10, 1869, the rain had subsided and the sky was a bright blue with a few small clouds. The residents of the town of Promontory, plus a few hundred railroad employees, prepared the ceremony, which started at 12:00 PM. Two trains, Union Pacific’s #119 and Central Pacific’s Jupiter, arrived and came to a stop just a few feet apart. At 12:47, the ceremony was over and the two trains steamed over the rail until they almost touched. The engineers of both locomotives broke a champagne bottle on the other’s locomotive in celebration. The great cities of America celebrated the completion of the railroad. The telegrapher present at the ceremony tapped one symbolic four-letter word: D-O-N-E.

"The Last Spike" ceremony

The Last Spike ceremony seen from the Jupiter train (public domain photo)

On April 10, 1869, the United States Congress informed the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad Companies that they would meet at Promontory Summit, a barren spot just north of the Promontory Range in Utah Territory. As soon as it was announced that the transcontinental railroad would be completed at Promontory Summit, plans for a ceremony celebrating the completion of that railroad were quickly made. The grand ceremony was carefully planned; it was during this planning staget that the concept of a golden spike and an elegant laurel tie were thought up. It was decided that these magnificent pieces of work would first be presented, and then laid and driven.

The event was originally scheduled for May 7, but rain storms in the Wasatch Range had damaged some of the Union Pacific's track, and it had to be repaired. Rain storms at Promontory Summit itself also delayed the proceedings. But on May 10, 1869, the sky was blue with a few small white clouds, the perfect day for the ceremony.

On that day, hundreds of people came to witness the completion of the nation's first transcontinental railroad. Reverend Dr. J. Todd initiated the ceremony with a prayer. After the prayer had ended, a Mr. Harkness, a journalist from Sacramento, presented the now world-famous gold spike to Leland Stanford, President of the Central Pacific Railroad Company and Governor of California, and said:

"Gentlemen of the Pacific Railroad...the last spike needed to unite the Atlantic and Pacific...is about to be driven to its place."

Following Harkness, Nevada resident F. A. Fryth presented a silver spike to Thomas Durant, President of the Union Pacific Railroad Company. Following Fryth, Arizona Governor Anson Safford offered a spike made of iron and silver with a gold head and offered his sentiments.

Leland Stanford (public domain photo)

Stanford graciously accepted the spikes, saying, "Gentlemen, the Pacific Railroad Company accepts with pride and satisfaction these gold and silver tokens..." Stanford then announced that the last rail was going to be laid. The tie, made of California laurel, was put into place. These words were inscribed on it: "The last tie laid on the completion of the Pacific Railroad, May 10th, 1869."

Using a silver maul, Leland Stanford tried to drive in the last spike, but missed. Stanford allowed Thomas Durant to try to drive the last spike, but he missed as well. Both misses received their fair share of laughter from the crowd. The job was then passed down to the superintendent of the Central Pacific Railroad Company, J. H. Strobridge, who didn't miss. At 12:47 PM, the telegrapher tapped one four letter word: "DONE." With that, the nation's first transcontinental railroad was completed.

Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad on Society

When the transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, it marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. It marked the end of the era of wagon travel across the Great Plains and boat travel around South America. Those two routes, once the only ways to the West coast, took a long time and were very dangerous. With the transcontinental railroad, one could complete a five month journey in a matter of days or weeks. And one could, of course, avoid the hardships that came with wagon and boat travel.

The completion of the railroad also marked the beginning of the era of transportation innovations. There were other transcontinental routes before the railroad (wagon routes), but they were formed by immigrants, not the federal government. The creation of the transcontinental railroad signaled the start of the federal government's involvement in national transportation. Soon after the railroad was built, the government began funding other national transportation projects, and in the 1920s, the government funded the creation of several interstate highways that spanned the continent.

That's one of the long-term benefits of the railroad, but what are some of the benefits that people of that time period received? As outlined in an 1889 report by the Central Pacific Railroad, the reasons why the transcontinental railroad was built were:

• That it was a political necessity


• That it was a military necessity


• That it would end the Indian wars


• That it would furnish a cheaper and more rapid means of transportation


• That it would lead to the development of resources between the Missouri and San Francisco Rivers

Note: The above points were quoted directly from the source.

The transcontinental railroad did all of these things (with the exception of ending the Indian wars), but how? Most importantly, it linked the East and the West just a few years after the North and the South had been reunited after the American Civil War. The transcontinental railroad made it easier for the United States federal government to govern the people in the Western United States, as they could come into contact with them much quicker and more efficiently.

The railroad also aided the United States military. Before the railroad was built, the West was, in several ways, isolated from the East, and so there was a great potential of a rebellion, or something else that requires military action, occurring and the military wouldn't be able to reach the place where the event was taking place in time to stop it. With the completion of the railroad, transporting soldiers to problem areas became much easier, and there was less of a threat that way.

After the railroad was completed, people had better access to mineral resources. More pay ores (gold, silver, platinum, etc.) were discovered as a result, and ores that had been developed minimally were developed more fully. Mining towns sprang up in a few areas, and most of them built spur railroad lines up to the main transcontinental railroad line to transport the valuable ores that came out of the mines and mills of those camps.

The completion of the transcontinental railroad was not only an engineering feat, but a societal feat. Many changes were brought along to society as a result of the railroad; some of those changes can be seen in today’s society. The transcontinental railroad has left an everlasting legacy on American society.