Show:
Life Before Trains
Railroad Companies
Vocabulary
Building the Rail
Changing Lives
100

What state was the last state to get railway service?

Montana

100

What does transcontinental mean?

All the way across the country.

100

What is a labor union?

Organizations of employees that bargain with employers for better working conditions or benefits.
100

What is a tycoon?

A wealthy business man.

100

True or False

Trains could serve as school busses.

True!  The shorter lines and smaller railroads that connected smaller towns sometimes served as school busses.

200
Name three resources that Montana had that outside markets wanted, therefore pushing the development of the railroads in Montana.

gold, copper, silver, wool, and cattle

200

The government gave the Northern Pacific how many acres of land for the railroad construction? Bonus 200 points if you know how much of that was in Montana.

Overall 39 million acres

In Montana 13.3 million acres

200

What is a reservation?

Land reserved for Native Americans for their own use through treaties.
200

What immigrant was often hired to do the back breaking work of laying railroad tracks?

Asian Immigrants

200

What fuel was used to ensure that trains ran smoothly across the transcontinental lines?

Coal

300

How long did it take to travel to Montana for the East, before railroads?

3 to 4 months

300

In 1869, the train company to get closest to Montana was whom? For an additional 200 points, how close did the railway get to Montana's gold fields?

Union Pacific

Within 500 miles

300

What is a right-of-way?

The legal right to cross someone else's property.
300

What was the average pay per day of a railroad worker?

Between $.90 to $1.45 per day... (about $21-$33 today)

300

How did cities improve to accomodate travelers? Name three things.

Fancy restaurants, sports events, ceremonial gatherings, larger stores, wider variety of foods, and entertainment.

400

How many hours did it take to travel the 120 miles from Helena to Virginia City, before railways?

18 hours

400

In 1872 a northern route of construction began from Utah to Montana. When it was completed, what was that railway called? For an extra 200 points, how long did it take to complete?

The Utah and Northern Railway

8 years

400
What is a financier?

Investors who finance large projects.

400

Why did labor unions form during the building of the railroads?

They were organizations that helped employees bargain for better wages, working conditions, or benefits.

400

The telegraph lines that ran along the railroad tracks changed how people received information. Name one specific thing that was sometimes transmitted on the telegraph wire.

Personal messages, baseball games, breaking news, and even transmitters could play chess!

500
When President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, there were no trains to carry the information to Montanan's. How many weeks did it take for the news to travel to Montana?

2 weeks

500

In 1882 the government approved an agreement with the Crow tribe that reduced their reservation by how many acres?

1.5 million acres

500
Define "board feet".

A measurement of lumber equal to 1 board foot long, 1 foot wide, and 1 inch thick.

500

How many people were employed by the railroads in Montana by the early 1900's?

About 23,000 were employed by the railroad.

500

What are three things that trains carried to make lives better for Montanan's?

Gadgets, machines, telephones, automobiles, plate glass windows, washing machines, tin ceilings, and catalog items.