Great Plains and Great Trains: America’s First Transcontinental Railroad
By Daniel Sullivan
With trade and transit on the rise the demand for a new way of transport was needed. The
year was 1863 when the First Transcontinental Railroad was born. It soon included 1,912 miles
of continuous railroad line. Plans were denied for the railroad in 1861 and 1862 but were later
agreed upon and construction began in 1863. The original recommendation for the railroad was
in 1838 when John Plumbe sent a petition to Washington. The railroad took nearly six years to
build and was a big innovation that proved to be a cheaper and safer way to transport over the
central United States. The railroad itself was one of the biggest funded American projects at the
time and also served as a key factor in Native American cultural decline in the Great Plains.
On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln authorized and signed in the Act to Aid in the
Construction of a Railroad Telegraph Line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. The
Central Pacific Railroad was authorized to construct a railroad from the Pacific coast that
stretched all the way to the eastern border of California under the same conditions as the Union
Pacific Railroad that was building westward toward Promontory Summit, Utah from Omaha,
Nebraska.
This topic was something that has been floating around in my family for years. The
history behind it is tied in with our family history as well. My grandpa’s grandpa was a worker
on the First Transcontinental Railroad near Promontory Point in Utah. Growing up, my cousins
and I heard stories and stories filled with exciting facts from my grandfather. The one thing that
always caught my attention was the intensity of the work and how quick it was all done. My
hometown is Kaysville, Utah, which is where the first ten years of my life were spent. Kaysville
is about an hour and ten minutes away from Promontory Point. This is my biggest reason for
wanting to use this as my topic. A family connection makes it more interesting to investigate.
Having Promontory, Utah, so close while growing up made it easy to visit whenever we
wanted. Personally me and my family have probably been at least fifteen times. Whether it was a
school field trip or a family outing it is someplace most Utahans visit quite often. A big thing
while growing up in Utah is that most of my family out there is Mormon. With that you hear a
lot about Mormon settler and American leader Brigham Young. Young is probably the most
notable historian in the state other than that of Joseph Smith because of their involvements with
the Church of Later Day Saints. However, most do not know is about Young’s involvement with
the First Transcontinental Railroad.
Young was a key piece in the Railroad being built as he was the first person to subscribe
to the Union Pacific stock. The Mormon people themselves were among the first people to
petition Congress to begin construction. They also were large in part one of the biggest founders
for the construction to even get underway.
The Railroad stretches from San Francisco, California, to Omaha, Nebraska, with
Promontory Point in the center. In total the railway was built by three separate companies. The
Western Pacific Railroad Company built 132 miles, the Central Pacific Railroad Company of
California built 690 miles, and the Union Pacific built 1,085 miles. On May 10, 1869 the railway
was opened as Central Pacific Railroad Company (CPPR) President Leland Stanford drove in the
historic “Last Spike” which later in life was deemed the “Golden Spike” at Promontory Point in
Utah. The words “Golden Spike” became historically known and soon were used to name a
tower at a rail yard in North Platte, Nebraska.
The 690 miles of railroad that the CPRR built started in Sacramento and extended to
Promontory Point in Utah. This began in 1863, and hurdled obstacles like covering the 7,000
foot Sierra Nevada Mountains at Donner Pass which led into the state of Nevada. The change in
elevation from Sacramento to that of Donner Summit was 40 feet in elevation to 7,000 feet in
elevation which was accomplished in about 90 miles. That's an average elevation change of
nearly 76 feet per mile. Theodore Judah was the chief engineer for CPRR and the lead man
behind the railroads construction up to Promontory Point.
Judah, a native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was destined for a life on the rails. When he
was a student him and his parents moved to Troy, New York so he could study at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute for engineering. At 21 Judah married Anna Pierce on May 10, 1847.
During the time and after the construction of the CPPR’s 690 miles, Union Pacific had
begun its 1,085 mile journey as started laying down track at Promontory Point eastward toward
Omaha, Nebraska. In actuality the track was being laid down westward starting in Omaha. The
track was laid in four phases. The first phase was July 10, 1865, through February 10, 1866,
which took 186 days excluding Sundays and ran 56 miles. The second phase which started at
milepost 56 began April 6, 1866 and ended December 14, 1866. It ended in O’Fallon’s Bluff,
Nebraska taking 217 days excluding Sundays to complete and covered 249 miles. The third
phase was from April 27, 1867, and ended December 31, 1867. It started in O’Fallon’s, Nebraska
and ended in Granite Canyon, Wyoming. It took 213 days excluding Sundays and stretched 231
miles. The fourth and final phase began April 1, 1868, and ended May 8, 1869. This phase
started in Granite Canyon, Wyoming and ended in Promontory Summit, Utah. This being the
longest stretch built, it took 346 days excluding Sundays to construct and was 549 miles long.
Two days later on May 10, 1869 the ceremonial “Last Spike” (Golden Spike) was driven in.
The man leading the way for Union Pacific was General Grenville Dodge. Dodge who
was born on April 12, 1831 in Danvers, Massachusetts was a military man his entire life. He
served as future President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant’s Intelligence Chief in Western
Theater early in his life. Before coming to the railroad he was also a congressman and a very
good businessman. In May, 1866 Dodge retired from the military and with the endorsement of
Grant became the chief engineer at Union Pacific. Dodges main job was to make a plan and
develop the route that would be taken. He had to devise a plan that would also figure in ways to
work around obstacles that would be encountered.
A key component of the Transcontinental Railroad was the induction of the Pacific
Railroad Act of 1862 which provided Federal subsidies in land and loans for its construction. Its
legislation authorized two companies permission to build the railroad. The two railroads were
Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads.
The Homestead Act of 1862 was implemented to give foreigners the ability to stake land
for their own use. The main use of this was so they could provide for their families and start their
own businesses. A commodity that in the East was not available. The railroad caused a new
customer base to enter the Great Plains. Many companies also saw this and started to make their
way into the Great Plains. Much more than transportation, the railroad provided gave
homesteaders new hope and new citizens to the area a chance at life. It was not just about
transportation, it was about wealth.
The Central Pacific railroad employed over 10,000 Chinese immigrants that worked
eastward from Sacramento, California. When Chinese workers were brought to work on the line
the original plan was to send a message to Irish workers that they were now expendable. Each
immigrant was paid a measly $30 a month. Soon because it was so cheap nearly 80 percent of
the work force on the line became consumed by immigrants just trying to make their way in this
country. What is known as what is most astounding by these brave and astounding immigrants
was their resiliency. They faced intense conditions such as tunneling and weather. Somehow
they even managed to lay down ten miles of track in only twelve hours. An astounding
accomplishment that still amazes most today.
In 1863, the Union Pacific line hired over 8,000 Irish war veterans; newly freed former
slaves who had been looking for good paying jobs in the West; and German and Italian
immigrants to build the railroad west of Omaha, Nebraska. Mormons who wanted Utah to finally
be incorporated into the rest of the nation also volunteered to help build the Union Pacific line
eastward toward Omaha. Large in part to Brigham Young’s involvement in the railroad,
Mormons were easily allowed to work on the line, earning the same amount of money as a
Chinese Immigrant. Without Young, many do not believe Mormons would have had the right to
work on the line.
Of the many immigrants who worked on this line, my grandpa’s grandpa, James Smulin
was a worker who was already in the country as an immigrant from England. Smulin worked the
line starting from Promontory Point and ended his work on the line somewhere between Fort
Steele and Cheyenne, Wyoming. My grandfather, Richard Harvey told me stories as I grew up
telling me about the hot days, and the brutal conditions that the job had. He also stated that, even
though no matter how bad the conditions his grandfather never wanted to quit. For an immigrant,
the conditions may have been bad, but the conditions were worth living through as this was a
great job for an immigrant to have. This was also such an amazing thing to be a part of for
Smulin. A chance to help build something that was going to be so crucial to the country was a
big thing for a person trying so hard to be a citizen of an up and coming country that had signs of
a future and prosperity.
On July 10, 1865, Union Pacific decided it was time to join the Central Pacific Railroad
Company with the build as they started laying down track outside of Omaha. At this time the
Central Pacific already had about fifty miles of track already laid down. In the Spring of 1866 to
help catch up with the Central Pacific, Union Pacific hired Dan and Jack Casement to lead and
handle construction teams on the line. It helped immensely as by August 1, 1866, Union Pacific
had reached its 150 miles of track mark west of Omaha. By October 5, 1866, Union Pacific
reaches the 100th meridian, 247 miles west of Omaha. By November they were in North Platte,
Nebraska having finished 290 miles of track.
Weather started becoming a big issue in western Nebraska in 1866 as snow and below
zero temperatures made it hard to lay track. However, whenever the weather would cooperate
just the slightest bit, the workers would take the chance and lay more track. By the years end
Union Pacific reached mile post 305. By the years end in 1867, just a year later Union Pacific
had reach mile post 540, spanning 240 miles of track being laid. By spring of 1868 Union Pacific
was starting to lay track westward from Cheyenne, Wyoming. By November they reached Bear
River. By years end 995 miles away from Omaha in Evanston, Wyoming Union Pacific finished
out the year strong. By March 8, 1869, the Union Pacific was essentially done as they awaited
building the remaining track from Ogden, Utah, to Promontory Point.
Another big contributor and influencer to this effort was none other than the man on our
pennies and five dollar bill today. President Abraham Lincoln was vital in the efforts to build the
railroad. He saw it as a way to contribute to the Civil War efforts. He was quoted saying in hope
the railroad “would bring the entire nation closer together and would make Americans across the
continent feel like one people.” Even though Lincoln died in 1865, he oversaw the beginning of
the build starting in 1863, two years after he first took office in 1861.
As a result of the railroad being built there were some casualties caught in the crossfire.
The biggest casualty was that of the decline of Native American culture in the Great Plains.
Indians did not agree with the railroad being built and sure had their share of harassment being
shown towards how they felt on the matter. From the Civil War to the retribution at Julesberg,
Colorado, there will be quite a bit of information being told on how the railroad led to the
decline.
During the time the railroad was being built Native Americans had previously signed
away most of their rights toward the land that they had once owned. This land was once their
hunting grounds, and, once hearing the federal government would be making a massive railroad
through the land, they were frustrated. The landscape would be forever changed do to the
railroads construction and was known as the single biggest contributor to the loss of bison in the
Great Plains. This in the end was a big hit for Native American tribes still living on the Plains as
they were dependent on bison for meat, skins to use and sell, clothing, and even ink.
With the railroad being built and bison being driven out of their domain, the railroad
brought homesteaders to the former wild lands. These settlers wished to farm the land. Such
things as this made sure that tribes would continue to come in conflict with the railroad as they
would try to protect what they could of their depleting resources. In retaliation tribes started
attacking white settlements that were supported by the railroad. The tribes were therefore at
cultural odds with the white man over the railroad and whites claiming ownership over their
previously owned land. Their biggest goal was to retain their former life that this new railroad
was taking from them. It was taking their culture.
Tribes would begin attacking the construction of the railroad. They destroyed the railroad
tracks, machinery, attack workers, and abscond livestock. However after continuously trying to
stop the railroad from being built, the tribes in the Great Plains would ultimately fail in returning
the lands to what they once were. Their territory and once hunting grounds were gone, thus
depleting the tribes on the Plains. The Transcontinental Railroad is known as one of the main
reasons the Great Plains Native American tribes’ way of life was destroyed and moved into
another.
Although the completion of the railroad meant that a great form of life within the Great
Plains may have been lost forever, it had a great impact for people everywhere else in the
country. For the average American traveling was a long, enduring experience. Times were rough
and it was also very expensive. With the railroads implementation coast-to-coast trips became a
much more fast and economically sound. What use to take months to get from San Francisco,
California, to Chicago, Illinois, only took a matter of days.
As time continued on, the railroad was quickly known as a safe way of traveling as well
as a secure way of transport. Taking passengers and goods and getting them from Point A to
Point B. The previous transportation system of wagon or ship was too time consuming. A new
era had begun. The speed of the railroad was a modern day marvel for all who had a chance to
travel on the line.
Immigrants also found the Transcontinental Railroad as promising commodity.
Immigrants who had the “American Dream” found this new railroad as a means of a way to seek
their fortunes in the West. Port cities in the East did not show much promise as there was more
discrimination in the East. Immigrants who lived in the East lived in poverty. In the West they
lived like equals. The railroad provided a healthier lifestyle and more of a chance to achieve
success.
By the years end in 1868, many workers went without pay due to Union Pacific being $6
million in debt. This happened since the company paid out its fifth dividend to its stockholders
during Christmas week. Union Pacific became powerless, while their workers became angry.
They had just finished building a railroad and had not been paid for their hard work in weeks.
On May 6, 1869, the locomotive carrying all the Union Pacific dignitaries on their way to
Promontory Point for the “Last Spike” was just departing in Piedmont, Wyoming when it was
detained by an armed mob of railroad workmen that were demanding they get paid higher wages
for the work they did to complete the railroad. Their wages were also overdue, and by the
hundreds they protested the train leaving while they demanded their money be paid to them.
Many workers were upset that they went several weeks without pay.
On May 10, 1869, when the ceremonial “Last Spike” was nailed in, it officially joined the
rails of the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific railroads. Shortly after 10:00 am that morning
Union Pacific’s No. 119 locomotive that had General Grenville Dodge, Thomas Durant, Sidney
Dillion, Silas Seymour, Samuel Reed, the Casement brothers Dan and Jack, and several others
arrived at Promontory Point. The Central Pacific’s train, the “Jupiter” locomotive arrived at
11:15 am carrying Leland Stanford and other Central Pacific guests of honor.
Once all had arrived a photograph was taken before the spike was to be nailed in. At
12:47 a telegrapher announced “done” as the final stake was laid down by Leland Stanford with
the hammer of a sledgehammer. Finally the country was cheering that its nearly seven year
project had finally come to its end. The east was now forever linked to the west.
With the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, North Platte, Nebraska, was
planted as a railroad town by Union Pacific’s Chief Engineer Grenville Dodge. North Platte was
mainly chosen because it was close to water and how far it was from Grand Island, Nebraska.
This town for a long time was known as the “Hell on Wheels” town. In 1866, the new North
Platte rail yard had its first train come through, and by 1867 General Dodge was started making
shop facilities and winter quarters. In addition to the facilities and quarters being built, main line
operations began in 1867. In addition to the rail yard in North Platte, it became the home of
Buffalo Bill Cody’s Scouts Rest Ranch in the late 1800s and 1900s due to it being so close to the
rail yard.
The rail yard in North Platte, Nebraska, became known nationally as the Bailey Yard. It
is halfway between Denver, Colorado, and Omaha, Nebraska. It stretches 8 miles long and sees
up to 155 trains on a daily average. Its Eastbound Hump is 34 feet tall, while its Westbound
Hump is 20 feet tall. Over 3,000 cars are humped daily. Its diesel shop repairs over 750
locomotives per month, and also replaces 10,000 pairs of wheels per year. In 24 hours the Bailey
Yard will handle over 10,000 cars and work over 2,600 employees circulating in and out over a
24 hour basis. The yard handles 70 coal trains a day. The average time a car is in the terminal for
instance is 11 hours and 30 minutes. The biggest stat that is just insane is the fact that the Bailey
Yard supplies locomotives with over 14 million gallons of diesel fuel each and every month.
With all the information I have grown up knowing about trains, learning from both my
grandfathers about stories they heard as kids, their interests have always peaked my interests. I
still get enthused by the thought of seeing a train pass by while driving on the highway. The First
Transcontinental Railroad provided a necessary means to an end of long transportation through
the country. Trade and transportation had never been a more safe and secure part of life. While
life for certain groups like the Native American tribes may have been lost in the process, the
bigger picture was that it helped a nation on the rise, thrive in an unprecedented fashion.
In conclusion, I believe that railroads are the single thing that connected this country
together. Before the railroad was laid there was no official way to connect east to west.
Transportation took a lot longer. A trip that usually took months, now only took days. The only
downside I see is the decline in a culture such as Native American life. My hope was that they
could have avoided bringing in outsiders to live on the land for one and stopping, the bison from
leaving the territory. Resources declined that had been there for years.
As a proud American I love our nation’s accomplishments. However this one part of
history I feel remorse for. Everyone should be treated as equals. If I had the power to change the
past I would have found a better way to build this railroad so Native American life would not be
affected. At the end of the day we are all Americans. Every person born in this country is an
American. We have the Native American tribes to thank in the first place as to why we even
have the Great Plains in the first place. They took the land, nurtured it, respected it, and lived off
of it for ages. To see that what we did to it after their decline puzzles me to think about.
I am proud and confident that what we did with the railroad was for the right reasons as it
was needed. I know the times were different than they are today. However some things should
just be left in their own natural state. The Great Plains are part of the only natural untouched
areas in the United States anymore. Each year as populations increase we lose more and more of
that fertile land. My wish would be to respect these lands as much as we possibly can. Start
respecting them more and enjoy the great things they bring us.
The railroad itself provided many people with an American Dream. I really like how
many immigrants were given the chance to do something promising. I believe the railroad being
built was a perfect example of why so many people think they can find a sense of prosperity
here. The railroad provided many new ways of secure transportation and trade. It made travel by
wagon and boat a thing of the past. It also increased jobs and money growth within the Central
United States where the Great Plains lie.
Sources are as followed:
1. Fielder, M. (1960). RAILROADS OF THE BLACK HILLS. Seattle, WA: Superior
Publishing Company
a. This source has given me an insight to what the scene and landscape looked like
for railroads around the time of the Transcontinental Railroad. In addition it will
be a great source for me to use for pictures on my display board.
2. White, J. H., Jr. (1973). American Single Locomotives and the "Pioneer". Washington,
D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
a. In addition to the first source there are a lot of pictures to be used from this
source. Also the use of early locomotives and engines are shown and talked about
in this book. It will be easy to find information while using this ounce as it has a
lot of information from the 19th century regarding trains.
3. Dodge, G. M. (1966). How We Built the Union Pacific Railway. Ann Arbor, MI:
University Microfilms, Inc. .
a. This source will be very helpful as it is written by Major-General Grenville
Dodge himself. Dodge was the Chief-Engineer of the Union Pacific Railway from
1866-1870. Having an up and close personal biography from a leader on the
project will have a lot of information in which I can use for this project.
Especially for the aspects I am focusing on like Promontory Point or Native
American cultural decline.
4. Baker, S. L., & Kunz, V. B. (1976). The Collector's Book of Railroadiana. Secaucus, NJ:
Castle.
a. This source has many maps over the Great Plains and has information on artifacts
and historical landmarks regarding just about any railroad in the Great Plains or
dealing with the Transcontinental Railroad. Some artifacts shown in this source
actually help make stories have credibility that were told to me by my
grandfather.
5. R. Harvey, personal communication, February 24, 2017
a. This source is my grandfather who has been talking to me regularly when
questions have come about regarding our lineage. He has been my source to
connect family history with the Transcontinental Railroad and the conditions and
regulations that our ancestor went through while helping build the railroad in the
late 19th century.
6. West, E. (n.d.). American Indians and the Transcontinental Railroad. Retrieved February
24, 2017, from https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/developmentwest/essays/american-indians-and-transcontinental-railroad
a. This source has been very helpful and will continue to be helpful in researching
the Native American culture and the decline it faced as the result of the railroad
being built. This source mentions the dwindling independence on Indians in the
Great Plains and it’s main focus is on American History.
7. Native Americans and the Transcontinental Railroad. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017,
from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tcrr-tribes/
a. In addition to source #6, this source will also help with the Native American side
of the project. PBS is a very credible resource and has a lot of great information
regarding the involvement of the Railroad and the Civil War, both of which had
big lasting effects on how cultural decline started in the Great Plains.
8. Pacific Railway Act (1862). (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from
https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=32
a. A key component in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad was in fact
due to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. The site has everything that is needed to
know about the Act and it's history in allowing construction to begin. In addition
it talks about important details regarding immigrants and companies involved
with the construction process.
9. Account of the "Golden Spike" Ceremony, Promontory Point, UT on May 10, 1869.
(n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2017, from
http://railroads.unl.edu/documents/view_document.php?yearStart=&yearStop=&keyword
=Promontory&publication=&id=rail.reed.0109
a. This newspaper article is very helpful as it was printed the day after the Golden
Spike was nailed in and the railroad was opened for travel. This letter gives me
unlimited resources for what others thought or viewed the railroad as at the time it
was built. It relays everything that took place from that day at Promontory Point.
It covers all bases post construction.
10. Letter from Samuel B. Reed to Wife and Family, February 27, 1869. (n.d.). Retrieved
February 25, 2017, from
http://railroads.unl.edu/documents/view_document.php?yearStart=&yearStop=&keyword
=Promontory&publication=&id=rail.reed.0108
a. This source is very helpful and making comments made by my grandfather
credible. The letter talks about the conditions the employees were under, but the
good aspects of the job as well. Samuel B. Reed wrote to his wife and family
quite a bit and after reading some of his letters its evident he was working on the
railroad for sometime. He also talks about certain aspects about the railroad that
may be useful as they are in conjunction with the topic of this final project.
11. "A Timeline History of the Transcontinental Railroads in North America." Kohlin. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. http://www.kohlin.com/rr/transco2.htm.
a. This site was extremely useful as I found a lot of information on the timeline of
the Transcontinental Railroad. I used it for a lot of the small pieces in my
research.
12. Building the First Transcontinental Railroad." DPLA. N.p., 17 Mar. 2017. Web.
https://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/transcontinental-railroad/human-impact/nativeamericans
a. This source was most useful in my approach on Native American life.