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Transcontinental Railroad Proposal
The proposal for the transportation system was presented to Congress by Asa Whitney -
Pacific Railroad Bill
Congress passes and President Lincoln signs the Pacific Railroad Bill. The Bill charters Central Pacific to build the California line and the Union Pacific Railroad Company to build west from the Missouri River. -
Central Pacific Begins
The Central Pacific Railroad Company spikes its first rails to ties. -
Chinese Workers on Central Pacific
Central Pacific contractor Charles Crocker decides to employ Chinese workers in an attempt to shore up the rapid turnover in his predominantly Irish labor force. -
Civil War Veterans Head West
The Civil War ends with the surrender of Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant. Thousands of demobilized soldiers soon head west looking for work and finding it on the railroad. -
Union Pacific Lays First Rail
The first Union Pacific rails are laid in Omaha, Nebraska. -
Jack Casement Drives West
Casement drives the Union Pacific to lay 60 miles of track in a month. -
First Passenger Train Crosses Sierras
The first passenger train to cross the Sierras on the Central Pacific route arrives in Reno. -
Golden Spike at Promontory Point
The first transcontinental railroad is officially completed, as the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines join some 1,700 miles of track connecting to the eastern networks. Representatives of both railroads take turns driving the final golden spike into the ground during a ceremony at Promontory Summit in the Utah Territory. -
Railroad Expansion
Total miles of railroad track in the United States reaches three times the 1860 total.
