America's First Transcontinental Railroad

American history · transportation · engineering

A massive building project. Three different railroad companies worked together to build this enormous railroad across the entire United States between 1863 and 1869. It stretched 1,911 miles from Iowa all the way to San Francisco Bay.

Mountains and deserts conquered. The Central Pacific Railroad built 690 miles of track eastward from Sacramento, California, while the Union Pacific Railroad built 1,085 miles westward from Nebraska. They finally met at Promontory Summit in Utah, completing the dream.

Government money and land. The U.S. government helped pay for this huge project by giving the railroad companies public land and special bonds to finance the construction. Private companies also borrowed money to get the job done.

Connecting two coasts. Before this railroad, traveling across America took months and was very difficult. Now people and goods could travel from the East Coast to the Pacific Ocean in just days.

Western Pacific's role. The Western Pacific Railroad Company completed the final 132 miles of track from Oakland to Sacramento, connecting the whole system together like the last piece of a puzzle.