Transcontinental Railroad Congress passed Railroad Act of 1862

Transcontinental Railroad • Congress passed Railroad Act of 1862 • 1863 Central Pacific starts in Sacramento, CA • 1863 - Union Pacific starts near Omaha, NE

Problems • • CP- getting supplies from the East WHY? UP-getting ties WHY?

Equipment • • • Each mile required 100 tons of rail 2500 ties 2 -3 tons of spikes and fish plates Also need wheel barrows, horse drawn scrapers, 2 wheel dump carts, shovels, axes, crowbars, blasting powder, and more

How Track Was Laid • • • Survey crews worked ahead Graders graded 100 miles at a time Bridge and trestle crews worked 5 -20 miles ahead Track layers grabbed rails and ties from horse drawn carts Pounders drove spikes

General Grenville Dodge Union Pacific

The Big Four Huntington, Hopkins, Stanford, Crocker

Officers of the Central Pacific

West- Central Pacific East- Union Pacific

Chinese Workers • • • Hired by the Central Pacific 9/10 were Chinese Avg. Height-4’ 10” Avg. Weight-120 lbs. Dug tunnels through Mts. • • • Use pick, shovel, black powder Avg. 8”/day 24 hrs. /7 days winters 40’ snow dug tunnels through snow to get to tunnels in Mts.

Chinese workers • • • All this hard work for: $20/week and supply own food later strike to get $35/week and not to be whipped suffered prejudice because were different clean, saved $, not drink away, and different customs

Chinese Workers for the Central Pacific

Chinese Laborer Camp

China Wall Road Marker

China Wall near Truckee, CA

China Wall and Snow Shed near Truckee, CA

Workers laying rails

Laying Rails in the Desert

The Last Rail is Laid

Completion-May 10, 1869 Promontory Point, Utah

Railroad Mural Lincoln, NE

Railroad Mural Lincoln, NE

Union Pacific Engine near Scott’s Bluff NE

Union Pacific Heading East near Scott’s Bluff, NE