Adding the Golden Spike
On May 10, 1869, the two tracks met in Promontory Summit, Utah. The Central Pacific Railroad Company had built track from Sacramento, California for 690 miles, and the Union Pacific Railroad company had laid track for 1,086 miles from Omaha, Nebraska. The transcontinental railroad was completed with a golden spike. Fun Fact: The total number of miles that the transcontinental railroad covered was 1,776 feet! |
Where the railroad takes us..
Upon completion of the transcontinental railroad, track stretched from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California. The cost to travel from coast to coast dropped from $1,000 per person to $150!!
What has the transcontinental railroad done for the United States?
"dot, dot, dot..done!" -golden spike. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cprr.org/Museum/Done!.html (images and newspaper clips of the completed track)
History.com Staff. (2010). Transcontinental railroad. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/transcontinental-railroad
Transcontinental railroad. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3OM_UnnCNM
Westward expansion. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/first_transcontinental_railroad.php (map)
History.com Staff. (2010). Transcontinental railroad. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/transcontinental-railroad
Transcontinental railroad. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3OM_UnnCNM
Westward expansion. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/first_transcontinental_railroad.php (map)