Name:
The Transcontinental Railroad Guided Notes
First!
1. What does transcontinental mean?
2. Continent is a
.
3. There are 7 continents in the world:
a.
e.
b.
f.
c.
g.
d.
4. Trans means something that goes
or
.
5. We put the two together and it means
.
Railroad Beginnings
1.
as they were
called were developed in the early 1800s.
2. They replaced the standard method of transportation which was a wagon
being pulled by
.
3. This
would revolutionize America as we know it!
Why Were Railroads Important?
1. Railroads were so important to the
United States’
of the
.
2. Infrastructure is defined as the basic
or
of a system or organization.
3. The United States infrastructure today is made up of
,
.
, and
4. It is easier understood as what helps a country
efficiently.
What Were Railroads Used For?
1. Railroad development helped America transport
,
and other things to help America grow into
a
nation.
2. Travel time became
of an issue.
Why Would People Go West?
1. Ever hear of the San Francisco 49ers? They are called the 49ers because in
18
there was a massive gold rush in and around San Francisco.
The gold miners were dubbed as “49ers”.
2. When the gold rush died down many people
west
but many other people
and built cities such as
San Francisco and Los Angeles.
3. There was just one issue: There was no
help people return from east to west or west to east.
to
The Pacific Railway Act
1. On July 1,
2. This Act would
the US government passed the Pacific
Railway Act.
the railroad to connect the east
with the west.
Where Did They Start?
1. The
company
would start in Iowa and build west.
2. The
company
would start in California and build east.
Who Would Build It?
1. Along with Americans…
2. The Union Pacific Company would build west hiring
immigrants.
3. The Central Pacific Company would build east hiring
immigrants.
4. Both the Irish and Chinese
difficult working conditions!
through
Troubles
1. The Central Pacific Company building east had major troubles through the
Mountains.
2. A man by the name of
, “Crazy
Judah”, was known for his big ambitions and enthusiasm. He was the lead
engineer on this project and found a route to pass through the mountains.
3. One question remained: How on earth do you build a railroad track over
mountains?
4. This is a job for a
!
Blowing Up Mountains
1. The only solution was to
make some
holes in mountains and
.
2. A chemical called nitro glycerin was used which was
deadly and explosive.
3. If the liquid dropped on the ground it would
instant.
4. Many men
in an
their lives during these projects.
Completion
1. On May 10, 1869 the
railroad spike, made out of
gold, was driven into the ground to
the
Transcontinental Railroad.
2. The east and west were
after 6 years of
hard labor.
3. What once took
just a
of travel now could take
to cross the entire United States!
The Future
1. America would continue to
its infrastructure with
more railroads connecting more people in the future.
2. This
up the lines of communication, people were
able to easily move west and east and major cities were
!