SIOUX SMOKE SIGNAL This is Steve McQueen of the Sioux tribe writing for the Sioux Smoke Signal. Today we are talking about how the Transcontinental Railroad affected our Native American way of life. The Transcontinental Railroad is a railroad which stretches from Omaha, Nebraska to San Francisco, California. It was built to bring settlers and supplies to the west. It has made a terrible impact on the Native American people. It was built by two different railroad companies: the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific. Both companies received subsidies from the government to complete the railroad. The companies started on the far points and connected on Promontory Point, Utah. They hired Chinese and Irish workers to work
The building of the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) was important for the development of the West. It allowed for simpler immigration, making it easier for say a family from Ontario who wishes to come to British Columbia for work and business. It also brought with it countrywide connection to Ottawa, bringing quick and simple transport of news for that time. Lastly, it was also the first
Despite the proliferation of horsecar transportation in the late nineteenth century, the Ocean Beach area remained disparate from the bulk of San Francisco residents. The recreational opportunities of Ocean Beach, Harbor View, and Sutro’s Cliff House attracted the need for a transportation solution. The Sutter Street Railroad was the first company to attempt steam dummy service to this section for San Francisco in 1877. The route connected horsecar service at Broadway and Polk streets to a steam dummy that took riders to Harbor View, but its location, remote from the many amusements of the beach, caused it to be unsuccessful.
In 1864 Congress approved the Northern Pacific Railway to be built. The NPR is the first transcontinental railroad in the northern part of the country. It is 8,316 miles long, beginning in Minnesota and ending in Washington state, with many branches going off the main line. When congress approved it they also supplied nearly 40million acres of land grants to build the railroad on. Construction didn 't go underway until 1870, and the rail road was finally christened to open on Sept. 8 1888.
It all started with Abraham Lincoln passing the Pacific Railway Act, just before his death. This act allowed two trustful companies to build the railroad. In the end the government picked the Union Pacific railroad company and the Central Pacific railroad company. The companies started the work as soon as they could. The Union
There have been steam engine trains trailing the United States in the early 1800’s. Many of the early ones ran only a few dozen miles. When the railways ran longer distances, the cost to build and later ride them were be extremely high. However, long distances were what Minnesota needed to keep up with the competitive and growing nation around it. “Construction began on the first track in 1861 in St. Paul and was completed in 1862.”
Each railroad company got one side of the country. The Union Pacific got the East side of the country, starting at Omaha, Nebraska, and the Central Pacific got the West side of the country, starting at Sacramento, California. Both companies joined tracks on May 10, 1869 in Promontory Point, Utah. During the time of the building, The Civil War
Transcontinential Railroad had a huge impact on the Native Ameriacans, Society and the Environment. Here is one example of how the Native Americans were impacted: Some of the hardships they faced were very little food, only ate once during their working hours. They worked long hours for very little money, and they had ages 10 and up working. Transcontinential Railroad helped the society grow with the transportation it provided. It replaced wagon trains of previous decades which became usless.
They wanted to be at the center of the mining traffic, hoping this would earn them the capital position. Denver knew they needed a railroad, as well. At the time, the Kansas Pacific was a line being built from Kansas to Denver, but the businessmen of Denver were displeased with the slow speed that the line was being built. Thus, they began their own company to lay tracks through their city. They believed they needed to connect to the Union Pacific to ascertain the city’s economic growth.
The two railways were not projected to meet at the planned location in Utah any longer. Congress acted and ordered the lines to meet at Promontory Point, near Ogden, Utah. The final railroad tie was made of laurel and was wrapped in silver. It was laid on May 1, 1869, completing the long track of railway connecting West to East (Stockwell, 2011). The transcontinental railroad was key to the industrial economy of the United States.
1. Texas Railroad Commission The Texas Railroad Commission is made up of 3 elected officers for six-year terms. This Commission regulates the oil and gas industry, as well as gas utilities and pipeline safety. The Texas Railroad Commission no longer regulates railroads. Their powers come from Article 13 in the Texas Constitution.
The railroad companies sold off the land and with the money made, financed their railroad construction. It was built in the late 1800's and was completed over the course of many years. The population of Washington grew quickly
The Transcontinental Railroad was essentially built to link our country as one. Being about 1,776 miles long, it was the first completed railroad to connect land stretching from Sacramento, California to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Many people were involved in the creating the railroad. The excitement of people as well as some concerns were expressed in the Primary Source Documents. The Chamber of Commerce of New York invited The Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco to a congratulatory party.
The Tremendous Impact of Railroads on America In the late 19th century, railroads propelled America into an era of unprecedented growth, prosperity, and convenient transportation. Prior to the building of the railroads, America lacked the proper and rapid transportation to make traveling across the country economical or practical. Lengthy travel was often cumbersome, costly, and dangerous.
In between California and the rest of the country were the Great Plains which were not heavily populated so there was no easy way of trade and transportation to the growing western territories. A group of men called the “Big Four” which consisted of Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker and Mark Hopkins, decided what the country needed was a transcontinental railroad. Their company, The Central Pacific Railroad company would hire 15,000 Chinese men to work on constructing the railroad due to the fact that they would work for less than the average American. This made transportation cheaper and quicker than ever
The building of roads, canals and railroads played a large role in the United States during the 1800s. They served the purpose of connecting towns and settlements so that goods could be transported quickly and more efficiently. These goods could be transported fast, cheap and in safe way through the Erie Canal that was built to connect the Great Lakes to New York. Railroads were important during Civil War as well, because it helped in the transportation of goods, supplies and weapons when necessary. These new forms of transportation shaped the United States into the place that it is today.