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Articles related to "Transcontinental Railroad"



Building and Riding the Transcontinental Railroad
Reviews of two books: "Empire Express", a lengthy, but very readable, history of the building of the transcontinental railroad; and, "USA By Rail", the travel bible for the rail traveler.
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Hooking Up with the Golden Spike
There are many misperceptions concerning the ceremony that completed the transcontinental railroad -- not the least of which is where the fabled "Wedding of the Rails" actually took place.
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The First Transcontinental Railroad (Part 1)
This is part 1 of the story about the first transcontinental railroad. Many obstacles stood in the way of its completion, but it was finally finished May 10, 1869. Read about the engineers, workers, and financiers of the railroad.
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The First Transcontinental Railroad (Part 2)
The story of the transcontinental railroad continues, as the rails continue across the desert of Nevada and the mountains of Utah. Both railroads encountered problems with supplies and labor, but still beat the estimated building time by six years.
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The Whipple Expedition to the Southwest (Part 1)
Lt. Whipple was hired to survey a possible route for the transcontinental railroad. He was one of three separate expeditions. He explored the southern route through Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California.
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Transcontinental RR and Suez Canal
What do these two seemingly unrelated transportation pipelines have in common?
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Walt Whitman's 'Passage to India'
The deathbed edition of Walt Whitman's "Passage to India" consists of nine parts, featuring his sprawling signature style.
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California Zephyr, Part One
In Part One of a two-part article, the author travels aboard the California Zephyr, from San Francisco to Sacramento.
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The Railroad, part 13
The Central Pacific advances down the eastern slope of the Sierras and prepares to cross Nevada. The Union Pacific reaches Utah Territory, but bypasses the Mormon city of Salt Lake. Brigham Young invests in the UP Railroad and provides Mormon railroad workers.
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Salt Lake City before the Railroad
Travelers to Utah left Salt Lake City impressed by the organization and audacity of the Mormon settlement in the middle of the desert.
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Shaping of America
David Meinig has published a four-volume series on the development of America. Meinig is a professor of geography at Maxwell School at Syracuse University in New York.
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The Railroad
A brief history of transcontinental travel by rail and the impact on the Native American
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California Zephyr, Part Two
After leaving Sacramento, the Zephyr begins its trip over the Sierra Nevada and into historic Truckee.
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The Railroad, part 1
On February 22, 1854 the railroad reached the Mississippi River in the vicinity of Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. A grand celebration was made honoring promoter Henry Farnam as well as many others.
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The Railroad, part 12
In 1844 Asa Whitney envisioned a railroad, stretching across the United States from ocean to ocean and began seeking possible routes that would reach from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Coast. Before Congress he proposes such a railroad, asked for a vast land grant, and assures Congress that the Indians will be of no concern. In the next ten years many Indian tribes are forced to concede thousands of acres with some tribes being removed to Indian Territory. The Union Pacific is given until July 1, 1876, to reach the western boundary of Nevada Territory, and God help anyone, white or red, who stands in its way.
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The Railroad, part 2
On February 22, 1854 the railroad reached the Mississippi River in the vicinity of Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. A grand celebration was made honoring promoter Henry Farnam as well as many others.
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The Railroad, part 6
The American Civil War has ended. Even before its end Durant is plotting money schemes to line his and his associates pockets with the public and the government’s money. One such scheme is the Credit Mobilier.
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John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald was Prime Minister of Canada nineteen years making him second only to Mackenzie King as the longest serving Prime Minister of Canada.
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Amtrak National Train Day May 10th
Amtrak celebrates National Train Day on May 10th, to commemorate rail travel in America. Explore the many Amtrak routes available for travel to popular U.S. destinations.
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Asian Pacific Islander Month
A look at Asian contributions to American history.
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Clipper Ships
Near the peak of commercial sailing technology, clippers are somewhere between an awesome feat of engineering and a work of fine art.
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The Railroad, part 14
In May of 1869 the Union and Central Pacific Railroads reach Promontory City, Utah where they are to connect. Delays occur when heavy rain washes out so of the tracks and an angry unpaid mob of railroad workers take some railroad officials prisoner until they are paid.
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The Railroad, part 9
The Central Pacific Railroad is nearing the Sierra Mountains and they are having trouble finding and hiring enough workers, and many of those hired leave the railroad and head for the Nevada gold fields. Charles Crocker convinces his chief of staff, James Harvey Strobridge, to hire Chinese workers when the Irish go on strike.
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The Short Life of the Pony Express
America's famed pre-railroad mails service, the Pony Express, was a convincing demonstration of just how efficiently a delivery service could operate.
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Early American Epic Scale Western Movies
These three epics represent a significant shift in the making of Western movies. They brought the genre into the realm of the spectacular.
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Fragile, Hostile, Heavy, and Totally Astounding!
Hot and Heavy. Light and Fragile. The way this artist handles it, no one would ever believe that it the same stuff as... but go read the article.
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Newspapers of the Old West (Part 1)
After saloons, churches and schools came to town. Then businesses. But once a newspaper arrived, then the town was "civilized." But starting a newspaper and keeping it in print could be a challenge, especially in remote areas where supplies were interrupted and news was hard to get.
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The Amazing Neon and Atomic Presidential Time Jalopy
We can only imagine the presidents of the US as doing thier thing during their time. With the magic of patented time travel, it doesn't have to be just an intellectual game to pass the time at boring cocktail parties. Join me as we shove Cold War presidents into other times, and see what happens.
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THE NATICK COBBLER: HENRY WILSON, PART II
Continuing from last article, we see Henry Wilson enter the U.S. Senate and rise through the ranks to become one of the most influential senators of his day. At the time of his death, he was a leading contender for his party's presidential nomination.
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The Railroad, part 11
The Kansas Pacific reaches Fort Riley, Kansas in 1866 where Custer is forming the Seventh Cavalry. The following year the track extend to Abilene and Ellsworth. William Cody is supply the construction crews with meat. Soon, the cattle drives begin and the cow town is born.
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The Railroad, part 15
On May 10, 1869, the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads are connected at Promontory, Utah, completing the Transcontinental Railroad across America.
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The Railroad, part 3
Farnam complete the building of his railroad bridge across the Mississippi River but a river packet crashes into it, resulting in a disaster and a law suit. Lawyer Abraham Lincoln represents the Farnam interest in court.
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The Railroad, part 7
In Sacramento, California, Colin Huntington, Charles Crocker, California governor Leland Stanford, and Mark Hopkins, four California merchants, pool their funds and start construction on the Central Pacific Railroad in spite of numerous oppositions.
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The Railroad, part 8
The Big 4 and the Central Pacific railroad determine that the Sierra Mountains start 23 miles further out on the flat lands in order to get additional funding from the government. The Civil War causes an incredible inflation on railroad supplies.
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Chinese-Canadian Dreams and Disillusions: 'Tales from Gold Mountain'
<u>Tales from Gold Mountain</u> is a picture book for readers of all ages who are interested in, or would like to learn, about the history of the first Chinese immigrants to Canada's west coast.
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Falls from Grace
Stephen Ambrose, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Michael Bellesiles run into ethical questions about their books.
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Fort Churchill, Nevada (Part 2)
There were many forts across the west, some military and some for trading. Fort Churchill was strictly to provide a military presence to protect travellers to and from the gold and silver rush areas near Lake Tahoe and over the Sierras into California from Indians. The fort was in place for several years before the threat was diminished and the transcontinental railroad ended the need for wagon trains.
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Picacho Peak: warm winter getaway
This odd-looking peak stands in isolated splendor 1500' above the central Arizona desert floor. The Westernmost Civil War battle was indeed fought on these black basalt slopes; every March, enthusiasts re-enact the historic event. The state park is a fascinating stopover for campers, hikers, birders, photographers and historians alike. And the fabled, cabled trail to the peak is definately NOT for the fainthearted! Where to stay and what to do.
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The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (Part 1)
Of all the railroads of the west, the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe is one of the oldest. It plied its trade throughout the southwest and central plains. It weathered two depressions, two wars, and many other ups and downs and still survives today.
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The Railroad, part 4
The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad is established to cross the Iowa plains between Davenport, Iowa and Council Bluffs, Iowa. Winning a fifty thousand dollar prize, it reaches Iowa City moments before church bells ring in New Year&#8217;s Day, 1856.
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The Railroad, part 5
The Kansas-Nebraska Act heats up the slave question. The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad nearly goes bankrupt while the Chicago and Northerwestern Railroad takes prominence. The American Civil War starts, halting much of the railroad construction across the plains.
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The Way West: Departure Points
The bicentennial of the departure of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery is a great excuse for visting a whole host of sites related to westward migration. Here's what there is to see in Missouri, and a little bit of Illinois as well.
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The Whipple Expedition (Part 2)
The Whipple Expedition was one of several charted to find a route for the first transcontinental railroad. Amiel Whipple led the scientists and army troops across Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California to blaze the new trail and estimate its cost.
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Wells Fargo & Company
Wells Fargo is probably best known because its shipments were always getting stolen by train robbers and highwaymen. But Wells Fargo also was a bank. And it had its own detective agency. Wells Fargo was an integral part of the development of the gold rush West.
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Prince Rupert - The Northwest Connection
Discover this interesting port on the scenic northwest coast.
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