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Union pacific is founded by Abraham Lincoln
The Union Pacific Railroad, legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over 32,200 miles routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. -
Big Four take charge of Central Pacific
Long an advocate for a rail line that would extend all the way to the Pacific, former railroad attorney and now President Abraham Lincoln realized his dream when he signed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. The Central Pacific Railroad of California, which had been chartered in 1861, was authorized to build a line east from Sacramento. At the same time, the Act chartered The Union Pacific Railroad Company to build west from the Missouri River. The original legislation granted each railroad 6,400 -
Union Pacific lays its first rail
Three years after the Pacific Railroad Act took effect — and a year and a half after groundbreaking — Union Pacific finally laid its first rails. The mood that day was in direct contrast to the festive atmosphere of the gala celebration: no cheering crowds or brass bands. Most of the workmen had been laid off because there was no money to pay them. Progress on the railroad was slow and it took crews several weeks to lay the first mile. -
Durant hires General Dodge
Dodge earned a degree as a civil engineer and at one time worked as a surveyor for the M & M Railroad and owned a freight-shipping agency. In the Civil War, he served under Generals Sherman and Grant and helped repair Southern railroads. Several times, Thomas Durant urged Dodge to leave the war effort and join Union Pacific, but Dodge would not leave until he felt he had fulfilled his duty. His other condition: As chief engineer, he wanted absolute control of construction. -
First rail line across Iowa
Iowa crews began laying the first rails in 1854. A year later, the first locomotive was shipped across the Mississippi River by ferry. As with the Pacific line, the U.S. government was instrumental in funding railroad construction in Iowa. The Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad, which later became the Chicago and North Western Railway Co., was the first company to span the state -
Union Pacific construction reaches highest point
To make the shortest route to the top, Union Pacific engineers established a 90-foot grade that climbed 32 miles from the base of the Black Hills. The peak was first called Lone Tree Pass and later renamed Sherman Summit in honor of General William Tecumseh Sherman. Though General Dodge was often named as the one who discovered the pass, credit is more often given to English-born engineer James Evans, who surveyed the area in 1864 -
Rails reach Promontory summit
A month earlier, Congress passed a joint resolution naming Promontory Summit the place “at which rails shall meet and form one continuous line.” By early May, Union Pacific crews had laid the final track from Corinne, Utah, to the Summit. Railroad officials, workers and citizens alike were ready for a celebration, but it would have to wait a little longer. Wet weather, a washed-out bridge and a revolt by unpaid UP railroad workers who threatened to kidnap Thomas Durant. -
The golden spike is set in,Simulating the finish of the transcontinental railroad
After a washed-out bridge and a Union Pacific labor dispute delayed the ceremony for two days, the Union Pacific No. 119 and Central Pacific Jupiter met at Promontory Summit, Utah — drawn almost nose to nose and separated by the width of a single railroad tie. Ceremonial spikes were tapped by a special silver spike maul into the ceremonial laurel tie. Dignitaries and workers gathered around the locomotives to watch Central Pacific President Leland Stanford drive the ceremonial gold spike. -
First bridge across the Missouri river.
One of the most impressive of its day, the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge was built at a cost of nearly $2.9 million. The Grenville Dodge design was a half-mile long and featured 11 spans, each 250 feet long and 60 feet above water. Tubular-iron piers were planted in bedrock and supported with concrete and masonry. Severe winds damaged the structure in 1877. The bridge was repaired in 1887 and rebuilt twice, in 1888 and 1916. -
Kansas and Denver Pacific join Union Pacific
Jay Gould was no stranger to the rail industry — at the time, he controlled thousands of miles of U.S. railway. His plan for Union Pacific was to build a system of interconnected railroads in the Midwest in order to expand the company to key areas in Colorado and Wyoming. When UP was consolidated with the Kansas Pacific and Denver Pacific, Gould controlled all three railroads, renaming the company Union Pacific Railway Co. -
Union pacific links up with Pacific Northwest
The Oregon Steam Navigation Co. owned the first portage railroads to carry freight and passengers around rapids and falls on the Columbia River. After purchase by the OR&N in 1879, it became part of OR&N's rail network in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The Oregon Short Line and the OR&N met at Huntington, Ore., on November 25, 1884, completing the shortest rail route from Wyoming to Portland -
Interstate Commerce Commission debuts
When Union Pacific began its journey west, the railroad industry was privately owned and unregulated. Competition thrived among the growing number of rail companies, who were quickly moving into each other’s territory. The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 aimed to prevent monopoly and enhance healthy competition through the Interstate Commerce Commission. The ICC would expand to oversee the trucking industry, as well as interstate bus lines and telephone companies. -
Union Pacific falls into bankruptcy
In 1893, Union Pacific and every other railroad in the country paid the price for over expanding and over speculating. A national financial panic and a resulting depression only sealed their fate. As the eastern business world collapsed, western railroads failed. Continued heavy construction expenditures, a sharp fall-off of revenue and growing debt proved too much for Union Pacific Railway. Construction came to a halt and many lines, including UP, went into receivership -
Harriman and investors purchases most of Union Pacific's assets
E.H. Harriman, former president of the Illinois Central and president of Union Pacific (1904-1909), spent the next decade reorganizing the company and reacquiring other major portions of the railroad, such as the Oregon Short Line and the OR&N. The new company was named Union Pacific Railroad Company. Harriman spent more than $240 million improving the line from Omaha to Ogden. -
Union Pacific assumes control of Southern Pacific
The turn of the century brought a jockeying for position among the bigger railroads, and leaders knew the key areas for competition lay in the western United States. The Southern Pacific was a formidable company and attractive target — owning the line from Ogden to San Francisco and key lines into Portland, New Orleans and Mexico, as well as a steamship company. After buying parts of Union Pacific out of receivership only three years earlier. -
Lucin cutoff opens in Omaha
Considered one of the most ambitious and successful engineering feats of the era, the Lucin Cutoff replaced the original Promontory Summit line. Under the direction of Chief Engineer William Hood, an estimated 3,000 SP workers labored seven days a week to create the bypass across the Great Salt Lake. The new line was 44 miles shorter and considerably less curved and steep, allowing for heavier freight movement and quicker passenger travel. In 1942, the original line was removed. -
Union Pacific gains access to Los Angeles
A rail link from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles was highly prized in the late 19th century. Union Pacific owner E.H. Harriman and U.S. Senator William A. Clark of Montana, owner of the SPLA&SL, engaged in a head-to-head battle for rights to build in the Las Vegas Valley. Both railroads built lines west from Utah. Finally, they reached a deal: Clark could operate his railroad on UP’s lines; in return, UP received a 50 percent share. -
PFE company forms
Southern Pacific and Union Pacific created Pacific Fruit Express to answer a demand for rail cars that could ship perishable fruits from the West, Salinas Valley and Central Valley. E.H. Harriman made an initial order of 6,000 insulated refrigerator cars, cooled by ice stored at each end. Though some considered this a risky purchase, it soon paid off. Fresh fruits and vegetables were in demand — enough so that growers developed ways to produce crops year 'round
