T

he  Central Pacific and Union Railroads were competing to see which railroad would finish first

The Central Pacific Railroad was being built through the mountains so they were at a slight disadvantage

The Central Pacific Railroad finally finished first

Native Americans finally let the Central Pacific Railroad run and left the train alone

The Central Pacific Railroad was very successful  

by Lisa

Library of Congress

     The Transcontinental Railroad was built to make transportation and shipping more convenient, easier and faster across the United States. The construction of the Central Pacific Railroad started in 1863 and lasted about six years. The Central Pacific Railroad faced many difficulties with Native Americans because the Native Americans did want the Central Pacific Railroad passing through their lands.

        The Central Pacific Railroad was built through California, Nevada and Utah. It crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains and also a small part of the Rocky Mountains. It was funded by contributions from the Big Four: Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker and Collis Huntington. The man who convinced these men to invest is Theodore D. Judah. Judah was a young, smart engineer who had experience building railroads in the Eastern United States. Judah was very eager to see a railroad build through the mountains.  He even went to meet with President Lincoln to ask for money and land.  In 1862, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act.

     Once construction began, progress seemed to be too slow, so Charles Crocker hired a construction boss, James Harvey Strobridge. The Central Pacific also needed more workers, so they considered hiring Chinese men since they would work for less pay. Strobridge thought that the Chinese were too weak to work on a railroad but he still supported the idea. They hired 50 men. After a year, Strobridge was surprised that the Chinese were very good at their job.

        The construction of the Central Pacific seemed to be running smoothly for awhile but problems soon arose with the Native Americans.  The Sioux, Lakota, Arapaho and Cheyenne didn’t like the railroad for several reasons. One reason was that it intruded on their land that they hunted on.  The Central Pacific Railroad made loud noises scaring all the wild animals away.  The Native Americans also hated the Central Pacific Railroad because it cut the buffalo herd in two. The Native Americans depended on the buffalo because they ate their meat both fresh and dried. They used the hides for clothing, tents, and ropes. They made tools and weapons out of the bones. The Native Americans also hated the Central Pacific Railroad because buffalo skins became very popular in cities back East. The people inside of the train would kill the buffalo while the train was moving. The Central Pacific Railroad did not like buffalos because they would use the telegraph poles to scratch their backs and then knock them down. If they got rid of the buffalos they could get rid of the Native Americans.

   The Native Americans were so angry that they overturned two engines and then burned them. There would have been a third engine but one of the workers inside stopped it before it fell. The Native Americans also attacked the workers that were building the railroad. After these harmful attacks, a Peace Commission was called to tell the Native Americans that they had to let the Central Pacific Railroad be built. Some Native Americans still kept on fighting.

        The Central Pacific was most loved by Americans because it was faster, easier and more convenient. If people wanted to go to California by horse it would take a least a month or even more. If they traveled on the Central Pacific it would take only a couple of weeks. The Central Pacific Railroad was also more convenient than travel on water because the tracks wouldn’t freeze.  It also allowed passengers and cargo to go places that sometimes boats couldn’t go. The Central Pacific Railroad was an easier method of transportation because no manual labor was needed. It was all automatic. All that people needed to travel was money. Most importantly, businesses across the United States grew because it transported goods.

        Thanks to the Central Pacific Railroad shipping and transportation was easier, faster and more convenient. This technology helped America expand into the West. It became possible with the investments of Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins and especially Ted Judah. The Central Pacific Railroad was the best invention of its time!

For more information:
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/rail.html
http://cprr.org/Museum/Chinese.html

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