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38 The First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad
One of the most significant infrastructure improvements for which Abraham Lincoln rallied for federal support was construction of
a transcontinental railroad to the Pacific. Years before his presidency, conventions to discuss construction of a such a railroad had begun; surveys had been undertaken to study possible routes; bills had been proposed but none had been passed by Congress Not until 1862 did the House of Representatives and the Senate seriously deliberate over, study and approve the Pacific Railway Act. The line’s completion
in 1869 would become a major impetus for westward movement of settlers into states between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean.
Less than a year after President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act into law, groundbreaking took place to launch construction. The Central Pacific Railroad Company built the eastward line, which commenced in Sacramento, California. The Union Pacific Railroad was contracted to build the westward line; it broke ground at Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The Pacific Railroad epitomized the communications revolution taking place in the United States. It was considered one of the greatest industrial achievements of the 19th century, as it dramatically put an end to the era of sluggish and perilous wagon trains. Although President Lincoln did not live to see its completion on May 10, 1869,
The Stourbridge Lion was the first locomotive to be operated in the United States.
he will be remembered for spearheading construction of this, the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
The Vision
The transcontinental railroad was just a dream envisioned as far back as 1830, soon after the first steam locomotives started clanging and belching along the country’s first railways. In 1838, the first Pacific Railroad planning convention was held. After that, Pacific Railroad bills were introduced in Congress from time to time, but none of them were acted upon. Most of the arguments focused on the route—should it be a “central” route, via the Platte River in Nebraska and the South Pass in Wyoming, or a southern route avoiding the Rockies by going through Texas to Los Angeles?
A famous defender of the central route was Asa Whitney, who envisioned a route from Chicago to northern California. Using his own money, he led a survey team and looked into the viability of the route. His group printed maps and pamphlets for distribution, hoping to get approval from businessmen and politicians. Numerous other proposals were submitted to Congress for consideration but were never deliberated.
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