The dream of a transcontinental railroad connecting both coasts of the United States dates back to the earliest days of the steam engine. Although a number of bills promoting such a railroad had been introduced in Congress beginning in the 1840s, legislation was stalled due to the split among lawmakers as to the location of the route to be funded.
Northern congressional representatives wanted a northern route and southerners wanted a southern route. The issue of slavery in the “new west” complicated the issue, and no decision was possible. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Congress revisited the transcontinental railroad, with a particular eye to how the railroad would benefit the Union cause.
Groundbreaking ceremonies on the Central Pacific portion took place at Sacramento in January 1863, and the Union Pacific half began in December on the Missouri River bluffs.
Progress was slower on the Central Pacific’s western end, and was aggravated by the discovery of silver in Nevada in 1865. Many able-bodied workers were lured away from the dangers of railroad work for the possibilities of striking it rich, and as a result, large numbers of Chinese workers were brought in.
At the other end, the Union Pacific efforts were plagued by constant Indian raiding parties as they began to push across the prairies, land which was for the most part, simply taken from the Native Americans.
Finally, on May 10, 1869, the two segments were joined at Promontory Point, Utah. The final tie was secured with a bonze spike and a gold spike in honor of the event. In later years, air travel and interstate highways reduced the importance of the railroad in transporting goods and passengers, and many segments were dismantled for scrap material.
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