Once upon a time, a trip from the east coast of the United States to California was an arduous journey. It required weeks of travel through inhospitable grasslands and deserts, over treacherous mountains and dangerous rivers. The only other option was to sail by boat all the way around the South American continent.
The ceremony to drive the golden spike connecting the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. (Colorized.png)
Beginning in the 1830s, the railroad was the fastest, most modern mode of transportation. Within a few decades, the push was on to link the east with the west via a transcontinental railroad. In these colorized photographs, we can see the construction of the railroad that would finally connect both coasts.
The California Gold Rush
The discovery of gold in California led to a rush of settlers. (gia.edu)
We can really thank the discovery of gold in California for the rush of settlers to the region beginning in 1849. Never before in the history of the United States had there been such a migration of people from one area to another. Cities, such as San Francisco, sprang up as a result. The growth of business and industry in the west necessitated the speedier transportation of goods and products. The railroad was the best viable option.
The Pacific Railroad Act
Building the transcontinental railroad, circa 1869. (photo by Fotosearch. Getty Images)
In 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act. This piece of legislation provided government incentives and resources to aid in the construction of a rail line connecting the east and the west. The act gave the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific rail companies the authority to build the transcontinental railroad. It also gave the rail companies land grants for the project. With government funding, the two railroad companies hired thousands of workers, many of them newly arrived immigrants, for the backbreaking labor. They blasted through mountains and constructed bridges and trusses. It was a dangerous job in often harsh and extreme conditions.
From One End to the Other
The Union Pacific railroad started near Omaha, Nebraska. (nebraskalife.com)
As outlined in the Pacific Railroad Act, the Union Pacific Railroad Company would start their end of the construction project just west of the Missouri River, not far from the Iowa-Nebraska border, and work westward across the Great Plains. The Central Pacific Railroad company would begin their portion of the project in San Francisco and work eastward. The plan was to meet at a midway point to connect the two lines. The construction project became a bit of a competition between the two railroad companies. A rather long competition. The project took seven years to complete. During that time, the nation’s newspapers continually updated the public about the progress that was being made, keeping the competition alive.
Attacking the ‘Iron Horse’
It took seven years to construct the railroad line. (railroad.lindahall.org)
Railroad workers on both ends of the project had to also contend with attacks by Native American tribes. The ‘Iron Horse’, as it was called by the Native Americans, was cutting across their ancestral lands and altering their ways of life. Members of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Sioux tribes, as well as others, regularly attacked the railroad employees, raided railroad camps, and stole equipment.
Railroad Camps
First terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad in Almeda, California. (wikipedia-Colorized.png)
As each company pushed onward with their vast group of workers, makeshift camps were set up to accommodate the men. These temporary towns were rough and lawless places. Gambling, drinking, and prostitution were common. Fights often broke out among the workers. Some of them even turned violent. It was up to the camp bosses to try to keep law and order, but often, they were enjoying the card games and loose women, too.
An Unequal Path
Dale Creek Bridge by photography Andrew J. Russell png
The two railroads met in Utah. If you look at a map of the United States, you will quickly notice that Utah is much closer to San Francisco than it is to Nebraska. That doesn’t mean that the Central Pacific railroad slacked off on their work. The unequal path was the result of the geography of the land. For the bulk of their portion of the project, the Union Pacific railroad covered the fairly flat prairie grasslands of the Great Plains where there were not many obstacles in their way. Their progress was relatively fast. The Central Pacific railroad, however, had to traverse the Sierra Nevada mountains almost immediately. Their portion of the project was slower because of the numerous obstacles in their way.
The Golden Spike
The Golden Spike Ceremony. (newspapers.com)
As the two companies raced toward each other, there was much debate over where they would meet. In early 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant, who had just taken office, threatened to withhold government funding for the construction project until the two railroad companies could decide on a meeting point. Officials from both companies met and selected their spot … Promontory Point in Utah. On May 10, 1869, crowds of railway workers, reporters, politicians, and dignitaries looked on as the final spike was hammered in place to connect the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. For this momentous occasion, dubbed the Golden Spike Ceremony, a special 17.6-karat gold spike was used. After the ceremony and accompanying photo ops, the golden spike was replaced with an iron one. The actual golden spike is now on display at Stanford University.
