In 1862, the United States Congress passed the first Railroad Act, contracting two companies to begin the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Union Pacific Railroad Company began laying tracks in Omaha, Nebraska and worked west, while the Central Pacific Railroad Company started in Sacramento, California and proceeded eastward. Eventually, the two sets of tracks met at Promontory Summit, Utah, six years after construction began. When finished, the Transcontinental Railroad spanned the vast territory between California and the Missouri River, cutting the travel time through this region down to six days rather than four to six months.

Source: Transcontinental Railroad Route, Wikipedia

Source: Chinese railroad workers in snow, Wikipedia

Photo of the Transcontinental Railroad construction workers in the snowy mountains. Notice that most of these workers are Chinese laborers who played a major role in the completion.

Source: Promontory Summit, Utah, The Transcontinental Railroad

This is the famous photo at Promontory Summit, Utah (now Northern Utah) of the joining of the railroad track, completing the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869.

The Transcontinental Railroad: Increased Commerce

Better transportation allowed for increased commerce between the states. Within the first decade of its use, nearly 50 million dollars of cargo was transported across the Transcontinental Railroad. This trade sparked a manufacturing boom in the recently industrialized East by keeping it supplied with minerals mined in the western regions. Additionally, the West began to catch up with the Eastern way of life as the products of the manufacturing boom flowed to the frontier. Ultimately, the trade produced by the Transcontinental Railroad accelerated the progress of the entire country.

Source: Celebration of completion; Foundsf.org

Photograph of the crowds (Montgomery at Washington Streets in San Francisco) celebrating news of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 9, 1869.

The Transcontinental Railroad: Rapid Settlement of the West

Evidence of progress in the West was rapid settlement of people. In fact, the settlement of the West may have been the single most important effect of the Transcontinental Railroad. After the railroad's construction, traveling became much simpler, and families flocked west. Soon, new railways branched off of the Transcontinental Railroad, and others ran parallel to it, creating a network of tracks that transformed the West from an unpopulated wilderness to a thriving region of mining and agriculture.

Source: American West Settlers; Wikimedia

This is a photo of a typical family who settled the West after the railroad opened the West. Families such as this would make trips with covered wagons to move all of their possessions and animals.

Comic Strip Activity

1. Watch the following video about the social and economic impact of the Transcontinental Railroad.
   

   

   Source: Transcontinental Railroad, AIHE, Teacher Tube

2. After watching the video and reviewing the information in this resource, create a comic strip that describes the economic impact of this technological innovation. This comic strip can be humorous or informative. As an example, your comic strip could show how the economy worked before and after the completion of the railroad.

Click here to download the comic strip template.

3. Checking your work: Your comic strip should demonstrate the following:
   
   • How the economy worked before the completion of the railroad (describe what it was like to own a business before the railroad was completed)
   • How the economy worked after the completion of the railroad (describe what it was like to own a business after the railroad was completed).
   • You can use text to support your images just like a true comic strip.