Transcontinental Railroad- "Shaping America"

The railroads shaped America in many ways. In 1830, there was twenty-three miles of railroad in the United States of America. In 1839 the mileage of railroad tracks was 15,000. During the next seven decades, the miles of railroad being constructed a year was about 2,500. The expansion of the rail road system had a profound effect on America and its people.
In 1858, it took three weeks to travel west from St. Louis, Missouri. Since there was no railroad west of the Mississippi River, most shipments of supplies from the east were carried by wagon trains.
One of the most important reasons for building the railroad was to move raw material and finished goods in a cheap and profitable way. The most important railroad during this time period was the Transcontinental Railroad. In the 1860's, the California Gold Rush was slowing down and gold was found in Nevada. Collis Hunttington, Mark Hophins, Charles Crocker and Leland Stanford (the "Big Four") were some of the riches and powerful businessmen in California. They went west looking for gold. They did not find any but they became richer by selling supplies to the men looking for gold. Ted Judah persuaded them that railroads would allow them to do business in Nevada. The "Big Four" supplied Judah with money to make the railroad. The new railroad company called the Central Pacific. In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act was passed by Congress. The Act designated the 32nd parallel as the initial transcontinental route and gave large grants of land for the right of way. The act was an effort to aid in the construction of the railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri River. The legislation allowed the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific companies to construct their lines.

There were several reasons for building the transcontinental railroad. It took too long to go to California from St. Louis. It was dangerous to travel westward due to Indian attacks and robbers. It took to long to get supplies from the east to the west. Last, manifest destiny, which is the belief that Americans had a right to take over the entire North American continent, took the country. It was the American people's right to expand and take over land. The promise of rich land in the west made many Americans travel west in the hope of a better and richer life. This idea that the country would stretch from sea to sea was the perfect climate for railroad expansion.