A narrated slideshow that is a summary of two chapters in a history text. It outlines the factors that led to the industrialization and urbanization of Texas, away from an agrarian economy. These included the growth of the railroad,...

This history of the Canadian National Railways (CNR) describes its formation in 1918 as the Government of Canada merged the assets of the Canadian Northern Railway with those of the Canadian Government Railway and later the Grand Trunk...

What made transportation in early Texas so difficult? What were the road conditions like? This article talks about land and water transportation in Texas in the years leading up to and after the Civil War. Also, check out photos and...

A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that examines how new technology and scientific advances of the nineteenth century changed America. Includes ideas for directing students through a...

Look in depth at the Gilded Age of history in the United States. Find resources enhancing lessons of immigration, industrialization, railroads, Native Americans, and politics.

Read about the growth of railroads throughout the eastern part of the United States, which greatly reduced transportation costs. See why there was opposition to railroads from many groups. Be sure to look at the stereograph of the...

Provides information and documents of Jefferson Davis, George McClellan and the War Department's Pacific Railroad explorations and surveys of 1853 to 1854.

Contains a guide for travel to and through Western America on the Central Pacific Railroad written by Samuel Bowles in 1869.

Ground level history of the necessary creation of the Underground Railroad. Young students will learn about slavery at an introductory level. A Sandstone Player extension activity is available.

A lesson unit on the people and movements that fought to abolish slavery. Looks at the Triangular Trade, and at the Underground Railroad and famous abolitionists. Includes a play about emancipation, a black history rap and a trivia quiz...

Part of a lengthy discussion of the oil business in Texas, the first two pages of this site give the early history of the oil industry in Texas.

This scholarly paper investigates the treatment of the federal government, sometimes ambivalent, sometimes hostile, during the presidential terms of Woodrow Wilson. See how Wilson's need for industrial workers and soldiers in the time...

A detailed look at how the Underground Railroad worked, some of the activists working against slavery, and some of the unique ways slaves managed to escape. Also discusses the economy that existed around the practice of slave tracking...

Find out about plans for a transcontinental railroad and surveys which plotted out possible routes. Part of a larger site on the history of railroads and maps.

The first three pages of this extensive essay on the railroad in United States history focuses on the early railroad and the Industrial Revolution in the United States.

Get a glimpse into the history of Canada's railways and explore how the locomotive influenced transportation in the country. See some of the important advancements in locomotive technology in Canada from 1900 to 1960.

Highlights the opening of the B & O Railroad charter and other related events in American history that took place on today's date.

This PBS site provides a general history of the Underground Railroad, including a focus on notable participants or "conductors." Click on Teacher's Guide for teacher resources.

This site from the Central Pacific Railroad provides an extensive and comprehensive article about surveying the route for the railroad, the problems with construction, and the men behind the idea of the railroad. Hyperlinks to additional...

The climate and weather of Alberta is discussed here as it pertains to the history of the Alberta railroad.

A brief discussion of the concept of a transcontinental railroad with hyperlinks to other articles on this large website.

This site from the Central Pacific Railroad contains an article from the Sacramento Daily Union on the first rail laid on the western end of the transcontinental railroad on October 27, 1863.

A thorough biography of Henry Flagler, a man instrumental in the history of Florida: his work in St. Augustine, his work with the railroads, his life in Miami, and the building of the railroad to Key West. Much more information is given...

All aboard this slideshow on the building of railroads in Virginia. Study maps, charts and pictures of the major railways in Virginia and their impact on the economy. Be sure to take the quiz over the steam locomotive at the end!