IV. How did the transcontinental railroad affect settlement in the west?

Unit 2 Notes III A. As more Americans began moving west, the need to send goods and information between the East and the West increased . B. In 1860 a system of messengers on horseback called the Pony Express carried mail between relay stations on a route about 2000 miles long. However, telegraph lines, which sent messages faster, quickly put the Pony Express out of business. Pony Express C. Some Americans wanted to build a transcontinental railroad. D. The federal government, passed the Pacific Railway Acts in 1862 and in 1864. These acts gave railroad companies loans and large land grants that could be sold to pay for construction costs. E. Two companies, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific, led the race to complete the transcontinental railroad. In February 1863, the Central Pacific began building east from Sacramento, . At the end of the year, the Union Pacific started building west from Omaha, Nebraska.

F. The Union Pacific hired thousands of railroad workers, particularly Irish immigrants. Chinese immigrants made up some 85% of the Central Pacific workforce. The Chinese were forced to work longer hours, for less pay, under much more dangerous conditions than other workers. Union Pacific Central Pacific

G. Congress required the two completed rail lines to connect at Promontory, Utah. On May 10, 1869, a was used to connect the railroad tie joining the two tracks. Promontory, UT and the Golden Spike The Golden Spike

•The spike is engraved on all four sides as follows: •"The Pacific Railroad ground broken Jany. 8th 1863, and completed May 8th 1869." •"Directors of the C. P. R. R. of Cal. Hon. . C. P. Huntington. E. B. Crocker. Mark Hopkins. A. P. Stanford. E. H. Miller Jr." •"Officers. Hon. Leland Stanford. Presdt. C. P. Huntington Vice Presdt. E. B. Crocker. Atty. Mark Hopkins. Tresr. Chas Crocker Gen. Supdt. E. H. Miller Jr. Secty. S. S. Montague. Chief Engr." •"May God continue the unity of our Country, as the Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world. Presented by David Hewes San Francisco." •Just for the record, the golden spike is not pure gold, but rather a mixture of alloys, as gold is too soft to be hit with a hammer. It is in fact 73% gold and weighs 14.03 troy ounces. H. Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad: 1. Increased both economic growth and the population in the west. 2. Railroad companies provided better transportation for people and goods. 3. New railroads also helped businesses. Western timber companies, miners, ranchers, and farmers shipped wood, metal, meat, and grain east by railroad. H. Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad:

4. In exchange, eastern companies shipped finished goods to the West. 5. By 1890 there were about 164,000 more miles of track in operation than in 1865. 6. Railroads became one of the largest industries in the U.S.