Who
Who were the first immigrants to work on the railroad?
The Chinese.
True or False: The Transcontinental Rail Road was the first rail Road to go coast to coast.
True.
When the railroad began, what were the two companies that competed to lay the tracks?
The Union Pacific and The Central Pacific.
Where did the Central Pacific railways build from (city and state)
Sacramento, California.
Why is it called the Transcontinental Railroad?
Because it stretches coast to coast.
Who were the most negatively impacted by the building of the Transcontinental Railroad?
Native Americans (land, food source)
When trains arrived in Utah, what mode of transportation ended.
The covered wagon.
When the Transcontinental Railroad was being built, what war was being fought?
The Civil War.
Where did the Union Pacific railways start building from? (city and state)
Omaha, Nebraska.
Why was the railroad built?
So the Western US could be more easily populated (Manifest Destiny), stimulate economic growth, opportunities for investors
Who were among the first to be attracted to the West before the railroad was built?
Gold diggers, miners, prospectors, pioneers/settlers, farmers, immigrants, entreprenuers, Mormons
What was the overland travel time prior to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad?
5-6 months.
When was the first spike driven into the railroad?
1863.
Where did the tracks meet?
Promontory Point.
Why did so many people die during the construction on the Transcontinental Railroad?
Because of explosions (Nitroglycerin), and the severe climate.
Who was the most prominent figure to propose the Transcontinental Railroad?
Theodore Judah.
What was the Homestead Act?
Act signed into law that encouraged Americans to populate the west by giving 160 acres of land to be "lived on" and "improved" for 5 years
When was the final spike put in?
1869.
What is one of the states the Transcontinental Railroad ran trough, besides Utah?
California, Nevada, Wyoming, or Nebraska.
Why were Hell on Wheels towns set up, and what were they like?
They were set up to provide rail workers living quarters and a place to socialize. Lots of drinking, gambling, and occasional gunfights.
Who were "The Big Four?"
The 4 businessman who funded the Central Pacific Railroad (Leland Standford, Collis P. Huntington, Charles Crocker, or Mark Hopkins.)
What did the Pacific Railway Act do?
It granted the two main railroad companies 6,400 acres of land per mile of track laid, and government bonds of at least $16,000 per mile of track, with higher amounts provided for more challenging terrain.
When someone left New York on the Transcontinental in 1876, how many hours would it take them to arrive in San Franciso? (must be within 5 hours to get points!)
83 hours and 39 minutes
Where did the Transcontinental Railroad get its financial aid from?
The U.S. government in the form of government bonds.
Why was the driving of the final spike a bit of a goof up?
Because Leland Standford (Pres of Central Pacific Railroad) missed, followed by the Vice Pres of the Union Pacific missing as well.