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.