Unit 2 Chapter 3 Lesson One Rails Across the Nation

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Unit 2 Chapter 3 Lesson OneRails Across the
Nation

• How did the continuation of westward expansion
  shape the United States?

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1840s- Wagon Trains- take 4-6 months to cross
the country and the journey was unsafe many
times.
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EQ How did the natural environment affect travel
to the West and settlement of that region?
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EQ How did the Railroad affect development of
the West?Travelers and Trade?
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Linking East and West

• 1850s- People traveled West two ways.
• Catch a train to Missouri and then by stagecoach.

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Stage Coach
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2. Sail south to Central America, catch a train
across Panama, and then sail north to California.
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Pony Express

• Delivered mail from Missouri to California.
• It was put out of business by the telegraph
  machine, invented by Samuel Morse.

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Telegraph Machine
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Pacific Railroad Act 1861

• Lincoln hoped it would bring the country back
  together. This Act was passed his first year in
  office.

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Transcontinental Railroad

• A railroad across the continent
• US Gov gave 2 companies the job
• Union Pacific and Central Pacific

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Transcontinental RR Map

• Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California

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Across the Plains

• Government offered loans and free land to build
  the railroad
• RR were paid by the mile of track they laid.
• The two companies raced against each other.

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Union Pacific

• Building West from Omaha, Nebraska towards
  California.
• Had advantage in the beginning. They were
  building on flat plains.

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Union Pacific RR
Challenge faced problem of finding enough
workers and conflicts with Native
Americans Problem was solved by the ending of the
Civil War Union and Confederate soldiers needed
work along with former slaves.
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Union Pacific RR

• Red Cloud, Lakota chief, tells Union Pacific
  that his tribe did not want them there because
  they were scaring away the buffalo.

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Union Pacific RR

• The US government supported the RR and gave the
  workers protection from the Native Americans.

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General Shermanguarded the Union Pacific workers
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General Sherman escorted by the Tenth U.S.
Cavalry
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Central Pacific
Over the Mountains

• Also had a hard time finding workers, people had
  moved to California for gold not to work for the
  RR at 35.00 a month.

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Central Pacific

• Building East from Sacramento, California
• Disadvantage Geography- Rugged Sierra Nevada
  mountain range
• Climate and Rivers were also a problem

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Dale Creek Trestle
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Pass was dug out entirely by hand, shovels,
picks, wheelbarrows, and black powder.
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Chinese Immigrants

• The Chinese immigrants were willing to risk
  their life blasting through the mountains using
  dynamite.

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Tunnel Made with Dynamite
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Central Pacific RR

• Picks up speed after they get passed the
  mountains and into the Nevada desert.
• Newspapers carry the story.

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Ten-Mile Day

• Crocker, owner of Central Pacific bet his crew
  could lay ten miles of track in one day.
• This came to symbolize the hard work of the 1,000
  men who worked on the RR.

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Golden Spike

• On May 10, 1869 the Union and Central Pacific RR
  met at Promontory Point, Utah.

A golden spike was driven in the track to
celebrate the project.
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Why it Matters

• Transcontinental RR helped our country grow.
• Now settlers could cross the country in one week
  at a cost of 100.00 not 1,000.00

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What changes did the RR bring?

• It changed the life of Native Americans forever.
• The buffalos grazing land was being destroyed
• People traveled more frequently.

• Greater settlement in California and along
• the route of the RR.

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EQ How did the natural environment affect travel
to the West and settlement of that region?
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EQ How did the Railroad affect development of
the West?Travelers and Trade?