Uniting America while Destroying the Lives of the Plains Indians:

How the Transcontinental Railroad affected the Lives of Americans

through Triumph and Tragedy

David Ackles Junior Division Historical Paper Paper Length: 2,420 words

On May 10, 1869, Leland Stanford stood before thousands, with the satisfying clank ringing out through the large crowd. The sound was mixed with a roar of applause at this epochal moment. A 17.6 - karate gold spike was driven into the last rail of the great Transcontinental

Railroad, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The meeting of the Union Pacific And The

Central Pacific Railroad Companies signified the hard-earned and long-awaited union of the East and West by railway. It also ended life in the western plains that the Native Americans living there once knew. The Transcontinental Railroad was a huge triumph, but it led to tragedy for the

Plains Indians.

During the Civil War, America became interested in a connection from the East to the

West. In the midst of the war, people were depressed from the horrors of a divided nation fighting against itself and insistent on finding a way to reunite America again. President

Abraham Lincoln was still in office and earnestly looking for ways to change the country's course to create a much-needed unity. Lincoln had a vision of building a railroad even before the

Civil War started, in part because of his experience as a railroad lawyer in Illinois in his younger years.

Lincoln’s vision coincided with another man’s vision. Theodore Judah was a young engineer from California who pushed the idea forward and took up the great challenge of the

Transcontinental Railroad. Judah went to Congress to convince America’s leaders that this idea was essential. In his words, Judah described the potential railroad, “ the most magnificent project ever conceived” (Caravantes). His ideas were very interesting and Congress was willing to listen.

He believed that the government should pay for the building of the railroad. When Congress turned him down, he stated, “ It is going to be built and I am going to have something to do with

it” (Caravantes). Because of Judah's determination, Congress finally approved the Pacific

Railroad Act which, Abraham Lincoln signed on July 1, 1862. This launched the building of the railroad. President Abraham Lincoln granted two companies, the Union Pacific and Central

Pacific Railroad Companies, the opportunity to build this railroad across the country

(Caravantes).

Prior to the Civil War, in 1850, Congress commissioned surveys to be done in the West and the 32nd parallel was chosen as the ideal route for the building of the railroad (Congress and the American West: The Transcontinental Railroad, National Archives). This railroad would end up to be 1,776 miles long, while going over the vast and tall Sierra Nevada Mountain range, and across huge, flat plains swarming with bison and Native Americans. Lincoln’s mindset in these times was not so much on people striking it rich from the profits of the railroad, but for the opportunity to solidify America’s future. The plan was if the Civil War continued, the railroad would provide supplies to towns and military camps on the frontlines further in the West. Soon after the signing of the Pacific Railroad Act, the Central Pacific Railroad company broke ground in Sacramento, California on January 8, 1863. About a year after, the Union Pacific Railroad

Company broke ground in Omaha, Nebraska, in December, 1863. Most of the building was delayed for two years until the end of the Civil War in 1865. In addition, many men were off at war, leading to fewer people to work for the railroad companies. Also, factories that would supply materials to the railroad companies were engaged with producing items needed for the

Civil War.

Prior to breaking ground, railroad officials gathered to plan and discuss the challenges that would lie ahead in building the railroad. They discussed problems that would come from

building in the rugged terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Also, they discussed how to engineer sturdy bridges that would pass over deep crevices, how to hire workers, and workers’ housing and compensation. One critically important problem was fully ignored, “The one thing they did not discuss was Native Americans. No one talked about what a railroad would do to the

Cheyenne and Sioux tribes that lived on the plains. Their lives depended on huge herds of bison.

A railroad would prevent the animals from freely roaming the plains. The Native Americans’ life would be destroyed” (Edward). Even Congress did not give merit to this extremely important issue.

At this time in California, the Gold Rush attracted many men seeking riches to provide for their families and to become wealthy in the newly formed state. People seeking this gold came from all over the world to be a part of this event, these gold-seekers were called 49ers. Lots of people traveled West in 1849 because of the Gold Rush in California, these citizens from the

Eastern states and many European immigrants experienced terrible conditions as they traveled for six months by wagon to have a tiny chance to create a fortune by finding gold. At this time, over 20,000 Chinese immigrants also traveled to California to take part in the Gold Rush.

The flood of Chinese workers, the Gold Rush and the people it drew, undoubtedly helped out the building process of the railroad, because these were groups of people that were looking for jobs. Most of the people who went to the West looking for gold never found any. The Central

Pacific Railroad Company hired workers quickly from the Chinese immigrant population and the disillusioned and unsuccessful 49ers. They were offered good pay, to build the track.

During the 1800s, steam engines were dominating the production industry throughout

America. They were used to quicken the production of resources and daily items. The machines

were powered by coal and could do more work and faster work than twenty men. Also, steam engines provided dependable power, while water powering could not be depended on as much.

Some of these engines were used to pump water out of mines and also transport the minerals out of them. This was a safer and more efficient way to be even more profitable. In the time of the

Civil War, steam engines were used for pulling people in large quantities. Some trains were used to supply guns and ammunition to troops on the frontlines in the East. Throughout the 1800s, steam engines were becoming less bulky and more efficient. With these advancements, trains supported large profits for companies. Building the tracks, building trains, providing materials and transporting passengers, were other ways to create profit in the railroad business. Before the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, it cost nearly $1,000 dollars to travel across the country to the West, some even traveled by ship through the Panama Canal. Once men went west, there was no efficient way to contact their families; news would reach its destination after half a year of it happening. The country was ready for the Transcontinental Railroad project.

Many Chinese, Irish and German immigrants came over during the Gold Rush to

California in 1849, so the Central Pacific Railroad Company easily hired these men as workers.

While the Union Pacific Railroad Company in the East was hiring thousands of Civil War veterans who were poor and looking for work while trying to get away from the scenes of horror they witnessed. The leaders of the railroad companies thought about hiring the Chinese from the start of the building process because of their experience building the Great Wall of China.

Building the railroads was an extremely difficult and dangerous job. The conditions for the workers were extremely poor, but the Chinese did stay healthier than the majority of the

American workers who were paid more. One way the Chinese stayed healthy was by boiling any

water before drinking and in doing this, they killed all the bacteria or insects in the water. Water was the main reason for sickness and death in the work camps. Also, the Chinese workers formed groups, and each group had a cook and the cook’s assistant. The cook made nutritious meals with whatever they had, and by using plants that grew around the camp to boil into tea, the cook’s assistant would bring the food and tea to the hard-working men in the group. The immigrant workers did the heavy lifting and dangerous tasks involved in building the railroad, such as lifting the heavy iron poles or blowing tunnels into the sides on the Sierra Nevada

Mountains. The main reason for deaths for the immigrant workers were misjudging an explosion, rather than from sickness like most of the American workers. Many foreign workers came to

America to be paid to build the railroad while bringing different knowledge and techniques that continued to advance the building process.

The techniques used by the railroad companies to build the railroad were mostly thought up by their expert engineers. A big problem for the Central Pacific Railroad Company was the vast Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. The young engineer, Theodore Judah, thought of a way to cut through these mountains by following a natural crevice in Northern California. Many explosives were used to break away rock wide enough for the track to be built and a train to pass through. This was a huge engineering feat. One of the most highly paid jobs in the Central

Pacific Railroad Company was the explosives scientist, with a makeshift lab on site, this person was always thinking of a new way to create more powerful explosives. Many Chinese workers planted the dynamite into the rock, then had to be pulled back up the sides of cliffs with pulley systems before the explosion happened. This would have to be an extremely quick process, unfortunately, many of these workers were not pulled up fast enough. This was the main cause of

death for healthy Chinese workers. Despite the tremendous loss in men, the railroad tracks were laid down ahead of schedule.

The tracks were made with heavy iron rails, wood planks, and stone slabs for a strong base. These materials would have to be extra strong for the tracks going through the mountains, which is why the Central Pacific had a slow, long process of laying the extremely heavy tracks in such rough terrain. Iron spikes were then driven through the iron rails with a large hammer and then into the wood for a secure track. The railroad companies did the process of hammering the rails down repeatedly, for miles.

One of the biggest obstacles for building the track for both of the railroad companies building in the West was the Native Americans. Chief Engineer General Grenville M. Dodge, an important military leader in the Civil War, was hired by the Union Pacific Railroad Company for his intelligence in many aspects of machinery and tactics. The problem was Dodge thought that making tremendous amounts of money was more important than being honest to the rest of the company's leaders. Dodge avoided talking about these problems about the Plains Indians with the railroad leaders, instead he focused on maximizing profits. One difficult issue he should not have avoided expressing the Natives to the continent, who lived in the plains he was building his railroad through.

The Union Pacific crews did not run into many construction problems building across the flat plains of Nebraska. The real obstacles were the people who saw themselves as rightful inhabitants to the land, the Northern and Southern Cheyenne, Sioux, and the Arapaho Indian tribes. These Native American people were skilled on horseback with bows or muskets and moved to new hunting grounds often to seek out their main resource; bison. In 1865, when the

threat by the railroad construction to the Native Americans was really starting to show from

American workers diminishing the population of bison, survival became a great challenge for the

Plains Indians.

The railroad workers and settlers slaughtered the Plains Indians’ most critical resource, bison, in massive amounts for the fur trade. Many hunters along the railroad started selling bison furs which became a huge money-making business blinding too many Americans about Native

Americans that depended on this valuable resource. This forced the Native Americans to move villages where they could find untouched bison herds to live off of. However, the railroad blocked all hunting grounds. Because of these events, Plains Indians retaliated towards the newcomers in violent ways. “The year 1865 was known as “The Bloody Year on the Plains,” and its history is one of the constant accounts of attacks, skirmishes, depredations, and murders by the Indians” (Bailey). Many attacks were made by the Native Americans on surveyors and engineers studying the tracks. Breaking the track was surprisingly very rare; acts of violence were on the workers and other people (See Appendix A). After much of this violence, government inspectors decided that there needed to be a larger military presence along the tracks. In a single attack by the Cheyenne Indians on the Nebraska plains, more than 80 soldiers died. These attacks started to make an impression on the government about what the Native

Americans would do to protect their bison and their hunting grounds. Native Americans depended on bison for shelter, food, clothing, tools, and many other life resources. They became extremely aggravated when they saw Americans leaving most of the bison carcass to rot in the fields. (See Appendix B)

In many ways, the Transcontinental Railroad advanced our country, by uniting the East to the West, connecting families from across the country, making the journey to the West more affordable at only $150 and quicker than ever before, learning of different cultures among the laborers sharing a common goal, and helping young men escape from the horrors and battlefields they witnessed during the Civil War. Together these accomplishments helped set the cornerstone for the way our country is connected today. Nonetheless, there was a dark side to all that was gained. Because of Americans encroaching onto the western plains, many events happened that only damaged what could have been a very beneficial relationship between Americans and the

Native Americans. The drastic decrease in bison left Native Americans with only one option to survive; government arranged reservations and a very different way of life. Some would say we connected our country by the building of the railroad, but fewer would say we divided our country by putting divisions between the Americans settling the country and Native Americans.

We created a lot of division because of our lack of respect as a nation for the people who might have made America even greater if their ways of thinking and living had been given value.

Appendix A

“Cheyenne Indians tearing up the tracks of the Union Pacific R.R.” Courtesy of the Utah State Historical Society via the Mountain West Digital Library.

Appendix B

“Photograph 1892 of a pile of ​American bison​ skulls waiting to be ground for fertilizer.” - Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

“Hunters began killing buffalo by the hundreds of thousands in the winter months. One hunter, Orlando Brown brought down nearly 6,000 buffalo by himself and lost hearing in one ear from the constant firing of his .50 caliber rifle.” - Gilbert King, Smithsonian.com

Works Cited Primary Sources

Cheyenne Indians tearing up the tracks. Human Impact, ​ ​ ​ dp.la/exhibitions/transcontinental-railroad/human-impact/native-americans. Many Indian

tribes tore up tracks to show their dominance on their lands, and fend off the invading

Americans. I wrote about how the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad Companies

considered the Plains Indians as the biggest problem for the building of the railroad.

Letter for track connection. National Archives, ​ ​ ​ www.archives.gov/exhibits/treasures_of_congress/page_15.html#. The Secretary of the

Interior sent out three commissioners to locate the best location for The Transcontinental

Railroad to connect, they chose Promontory Summit, Utah. In the paper, I discussed how

the government sent out engineers to find the best possible route for the railroad.

On the Trail of the Buffalo Hunters. True West Magazine, ​ ​ ​ truewestmagazine.com/on-the-trail-of-the-buffalo-hunters/. Thousands of bison were

killed on the plains in the process of building the railroad, the meat would feed workers,

while much of the rest would be left to decompose and rot in the fields. In the paper, I

discuss how disrespectful this waste was to the Plains Indians, the Indians used every

piece of the bison and respected the beast.

Pacific Railroad Surveys underway to determine possible routes for transcontinental railroad,

1853. Newspapers.com, ​ ​ ​ www.newspapers.com/clip/23262755/pacific_railroad_surveys_underway_to/. The

railroad officials had to decide the best way to have minimal problems while building the

railroad. I explained the importance of these surveys for the railroad officials’ decision

making.

Text of the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862, authorizing the building of the Transcontinental

Railroad. Newspapers.com, ​ ​ ​ www.newspapers.com/clip/23263104/text_of_the_pacific_railroad_act_of/. The Pacific

Railway Act would be signed by Abraham Lincoln, it granted two railroad companies

money to build a Transcontinental Railroad. I discussed the importance of the Pacific

Railway Act and the importance it had to starting the railroad.

Transcontinental Railroad completion ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah; last spike driven,

1869. Newspapers.com, ​ ​ ​ www.newspapers.com/clip/23282619/transcontinental_railroad_completion/. At the

meeting of both railroads, there was a grand celebration at Promontory Summit, Utah

celebrating all of the hard work from the exhausted men. I created a scene of the

celebration at the beginning of my paper.

Transcontinental Railroad, Two Letters Discussing Financing and Construction. Cowan's ​ ​ Auction, ​ www.cowanauctions.com/lot/transcontinental-railroad-two-letters-discussing-financing-a

nd-construction-1955454. Many railroad officials kept in close contact with the

government about the construction process on the Transcontinental Railroad, also

discussing other important things like finances for the railroad companies. In the paper, I

discussed the importance of the government funding the railroad.

Transcontinental Railroad workers attacked by Native Americans in Kansas, 1867. ​ Newspapers.com, ​ www.newspapers.com/clip/23263912/transcontinental_railroad_workers/. It was often

reported that aggressive Indian tribes would attack unsuspecting workers while the track

was being laid. I explained why these attacks happened and why the Plains Indians were

so aggravated with the Americans entering their land.

Secondary Sources

Abraham Lincoln and the Transcontinental Railroad. Youtube, Union Pacific, ​ ​ ​ www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmdTq9x-naE. Abraham Lincoln had a vision of a railroad

even before the Civil War after being the lawyer for a railroad company in his early

years. In my paper, I discuss why his vision is a crucial part of why the railroad got

started, and how he signed the Pacific Railroad Act.

"American Indians and the Transcontinental Railroad." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of ​ American History, ​ ap.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/development-west/essays/american-indians-and-trans

continental-railroad. The Plains Indians were less independent with every mile of the

track built by the railroad companies. In the paper, I used the information about how the

Transcontinental Railroad was interfering with the Plains Indians peaceful way of life.

"Building the First Transcontinental Railroad." Digital Public Library of America, ​ ​ dp.la/exhibitions/transcontinental-railroad/human-impact/native-americans?item=938.

The Native Americans were forced to leave the western plains, adapting to American life

in towns, the change was unbearable for most Indians. I used this in my paper, by talking

about how they were forced to move to government organized reservations.

"Building the Union Pacific Continued." Building the Union Pacific from Wyoming Tales and ​ Trails, www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/pac2.html. Many Plains Indians started ​ attacking railroad track in the process of being built to cause workers to leave the plains. I

used a scene from an Indian attack in my paper, this was a huge fear for many people

while the railroad was still being built.

Caravantes, Peggy. The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad. National Geo. A man named ​ ​ Theodore Judah had a vision of a railroad track being built to connect the East to the

West in the United States. In the paper, I wrote about how the idea of the railroad came

up, and how it started being built.

Completion of the Railroad. Legends of America, www.legendsofamerica.com/rr-completion/. A ​ ​ ​ gold spike was hammered into the last piece of rail at Promontory Summit, Utah, a great

accomplishment in United States history. I wrote about this scene, and how this event

came to be.

Dolan, Edward F. The Transcontinental Railroad. The reason behind The Transcontinental ​ ​ Railroad was to unite the East and the West, shortening the journey and drastically

decreasing the price. I listed some of these triumphs, to show the positive effects of the

railroad on the people.

"Events in the West 1850-1860." PBS, www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/events/1850_1860.htm. Many ​ ​ immigrants went to California in 1849 to take part in the Gold Rush, many people were

in the West, so connecting them to the East was crucial.

Halpern, Monica. Railroad Fever. The Civil War halted the building of the railroad until it was ​ ​ over because of raw materials such as iron for the war, also many men who would soon

work on the railroad were at war. I displayed this information by explaining the effects

the Civil War had on the building of the railroad.

The Indian Tribes on the Great Plains. The West 1850-1890, ​ ​ ​ settlersinthewest.weebly.com/native-americans.html. Several conflicts and wars were

fought between the U.S. government and Native American Tribes in the 1800s. Many

treaties and laws were passed to solve issues but lots did not produce the wanted results.

In my paper, I discussed the tension that kept rising between the Plains Indians and the

American Government.

"Indian Troubles during Construction of the Railroad." Legends of America, ​ ​ www.legendsofamerica.com/rr-indiantroubles/. 1865, also known as "the bloody year on

the plains," for the aggressive tribes that killed many surveyors, engineers, and workers,

brought much danger to being out on the plains at this time. In my paper, I used

information about events and how the Plains Indians affected the construction of the

railroad.

Nardo, Don. The Golden Spike. Compass Point Books. Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific ​ ​ Railway Act at the height of the Civil War, the money would be supplied to start the

building process. I explained how the idea of the Transcontinental Railroad got funded,

and how difficult it was to build.

Native Americans and The Union Pacific Railroad. Youtube, ​ ​ ​ www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFd4NPeDlKM. Grenville M. Dodge was a general in the

Civil War, hired by the Union Pacific Railroad Company as the chief engineer, he was

obsessed with the amount of money he could make. In the paper, I talked about Dodge

wanted to avoid problems with the Plains Indians so that he could maximize his profits,

but the Indian problem should not have been avoided.

Sandler, Martin W. Iron Rails, Iron Men and the Race to Link the Nation. Surveying parties went ​ ​ out West to explore possible routes, the surveyors had the most important assignment, the

safety of the route would decide if the railroad should be built at all. I explained these

possibilities in my paper, the surveyors had a say in where the tracks would be located.

"Settling the West." faculty.tnstate.edu, faculty.tnstate.edu/tcorse/h2020/settling_the_west.htm. ​ ​ Many people migrated west while the time of the Gold Rush was happening, many

people settled into little towns, slowly populating California. In the paper, I talked about

the importance of the West needing to have access to the East of the United States for

improved connection.

"The Transcontinental Railroad." Congress and the American West. National Archives, ​ ​ ​ ​ www.archives.gov/exhibits/treasures_of_congress/text/page15_text.html. Accessed 15

Feb. 2019. In 1862 Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Acts which designated the 32nd

parallel as the initial transcontinental route, decided by commissioners sent out to locate

the best possible place for the railroad. I used this information by including in my paper,

the importance of a safe and shorter route to the West.

"Transcontinental Railroad." History, ​ ​ www.history.com/topics/inventions/transcontinental-railroad. The Central Pacific and

Union Pacific Railroad Companies were competing to lay the most track and make the

most profit. I used some examples by talking about how the American government

played a role in motivating the railroad companies to finish the Transcontinental

Railroad.

"Transcontinental Railroad Recruits Chinese Laborers." PBS Learning Media, ​ ​ www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/akh10.socst.ush.now.trchinese/transcontinental-railr

oad-recruits-chinese-laborers/#.W4hfa5NKjFY. The Chinese used knowledge from

building in China and incorporated it into the construction of the Transcontinental

Railroad. I explained this by describing how the Chinese workers were treated and what

jobs they were able to do,

"Transportation in the 1800s." James Watt, The Invention of the Steam Engine, by Rahsaan ​ ​ Simpson. Weebly, gettingaroundinthe1800s.weebly.com/learning-the-steam-engine.html. ​ ​ The steam engine was a life-changing invention, it was used in most factories and mines,

they were powered by coal and made work faster and cheaper. I used some examples of

how the steam engine changed industry in the 1800s, and the effects it had on America.

"Who Was Who - Transcontinental Railroad." Linda Hall Library, ​ ​ railroad.lindahall.org/resources/who-was-who.html. Many people made an impact on

process of designing and finally building the Transcontinental Railroad, without many of

these railroad leaders, the project would not have been finished. In my paper, I explain

the role of an important engineer in building the railroad; Grenville M. Dodge.