Transcontinental Railroad

What It Is

The First Transcontinental Railroad was authorized by President Abraham Lincoln through the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862, built by two companies working from opposite ends of the country. Over six years, tens of thousands of workers — primarily Chinese immigrants on the Central Pacific side and Irish immigrants and Civil War veterans on the Union Pacific side — laid nearly 1,800 miles of track. The two lines met at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869.

Why It Matters

The transcontinental railroad cut a trip from four to six months by wagon down to just one week by train. It linked the east and west coasts for the first time and allowed the movement of people, goods, and mail at previously unimaginable speeds. However, over a thousand Chinese laborers are believed to have died during construction. Their story is important for anyone interested in train engineering because it demonstrates both the incredible ability of railroads to connect people and the sacrifices made by the workers who made that connection possible.