Trans-Continental Railroad A Look From Both Ends

The Proposals The work of the railroad men cannot be fully appreciated without first understanding the history behind the building of the first Transcontinental Railroad. The history of this great railroad goes back to the time when the first steam locomotives were moving on the first tracks in the nation. At this time, the Railroad was only an idea, and a dream. The first convention for the planning of the Pacific Railroad (as this first …

…North in its Civil War efforts, paved the way for Western expansion, and built the fortunes of influential men. Years later, its importance dwindled with the rise of interstate highways and air travel, and much of it was pulled apart for materials for later war efforts. Today, empty tracks through deserted fields, passed down stories and histories, and the children of the people who worked to make it happen are the legacy it leaves behind.