This website contains a large amount of 19th century primary source material, including both pictures and historical writings, including some 1865-66 California Newspapers. For help in researching the Central Pacific Railroad, and to locate other sources, in addition to the above institutions, see Library Research Using Primary Sources, Railroad Research Resources, Syracuse University's C. P. See similar questions...

In part, the answer depends on which "last spike" you mean. See similar questions...

Building the transcontinental railroad was certainly, as Congress intended, a race in the sense of a highly successful business competition, and consequently the best answer as to who won is probably everybody. The railroad was completed years ahead of schedule as a result. At the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, the CPRR was 742 miles long (including 47 1/2 miles purchased and 5 miles leased from the UPRR); and the UPRR was 1,032 miles long. See similar questions...

The first transcontinental railroad was 1776 miles long from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California (an easy American number to remember). The exact mileage varies over time as the railroad line was later realigned to slightly improve the route. You can get a different answer if you instead measure the length from Council Bluffs, Iowa or to Oakland or San Francisco, California, but the above answer is as originally built. A more precise number (to the foot) is on our homepage. See similar questions...

Overall the transcontinental railroad was a hugely positive success for the reasons explained in the FAQ about the railroad's significance. There were, however, some negative aspects that were unfortunate, and others that may be positive or negative, depending on your value judgments: The completion of the transcontinental railroad dramatically decreased the cost of transportation and many commodities that could now be readily obtained and carried to the west coast. See similar questions...

Lawrence K. Hersh. See similar questions...

The first Pacific Railroad Act was signed by former railroad lawyer, President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. See similar questions...

quot;With the completion of the Central Pacific, many Chinese workers moved to other railroad construction jobs, including some for the Central Pacific. Others returned with their savings to their families in Canton. Others still sent to China for wives and settled in various western communities as laundrymen and restaurateurs. The majority who remained, however, returned to the Pacific Coast. See similar questions...

Congress deadlocked over whether to use a northern or southern route from 1845 until 1862 with the departure of Southern Senators during the Civil War. Transporting equipment from the East coast by ship (via Panama or around Cape Horn at the tip of South America) for the CPRR. Sierra Nevada blizzards, snow drifts, and avalanches, requiring construction of 37 miles of snowsheds. Hostile Plains Indians, smallpox, the UPRR financial scandal (Credit Mobilier), and corrupt politicians. See similar questions...

The best place to visit is the fabulous California State Railroad Museum at the site of the original depot, the western terminus of the Central Pacific Railroad, at the old Sacramento, California waterfront, created due to the efforts of a group of railroad enthusiasts who in 1937 formed the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society and immediately began gathering historical locomotives and cars for their ultimate goal of a museum celebrating railroading in the Wes. See similar questions...

About 200,000 net tons of iron total were used just for building the railroad from Omaha to Sacramento [at 2000 lbs/net ton, the modern useage, also called the short ton; not using the gross ton unit of weight, also called the long ton, used historically by the CPRR which were 2240 lbs/gross ton; also not the metric ton = 1000 kg ]. See similar questions...

quot;For God’s sake, let ... judgment [have] at least a fighting chance to triumph over process." —John C. Bogle See similar questions...

The 1,776 mile long first transcontinental railroad (690 miles built by the Central Pacific Railroad and 1,086 miles built by the Union Pacific Railroad) that started construction in 1863 and was completed with the joining of the rails at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869 went from Omaha, Nebraska (UPRR) to Sacramento, California (CPRR), thereby connecting with other railroads from the east (for example, from Boston and New York via Chicago, Illinois or St. See similar questions...

Do you know anyone that I can interview about the railroad and how it still is important? Thanks for your questions. You have certainly chosen a fascinating topic for your history day project. quot;Primary Sources: The most basic definition of a primary source is: that which is written or produced in the time period students are investigating. Primary sources are materials directly related to a topic by time or participation. See similar questions...

Newspapers are sometimes secondary and sometimes primary sources. Since Victoria Woodhull was the editor of Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly, the Weekly is usually considered a primary source. You can obtain the Weekly on microfilm through interlibrary loan. You can also obtain copies of her speeches. (See answer below.) See similar questions...

Secondary sources, written by historians, are usually more focused than tertiary sources. They are generally built on research among primary and/or secondary sources, and tend to promote a certain interpretation or understanding of a particular event, moment, or theme in the past. I find it useful to introduce a distinction between secondary and tertiary sources. See similar questions...

This is a tricky question to answer, as people who have worked with primary sources know. It's probably best answered that not all of the sources about a topic necessarily come from the exact time of a given topic or from an actual eye-witness. Wherever possible we chose materials created at the time by someone who had first-hand experience with the topic. Opinions can easily vary — even among historians — on whether or not a source is in fact a primary source. See similar questions...