Other
California State Railroad Museum: The Transcontinental Railroad
A brief history of the first transcontinental railroad and the vision of Theodore Judah as well as the financing of the "Big Four."
Stanford University
Stanford University: Spacial History: Transcontinental Railroad, 1879 1893
The railroad developers built the rails in anticipation of growth and sprawl across the United States. This visual shows the details of the increase of settlements, yet not quite enough to sustain the expanse of the Transcontinental...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Transcontinental Railroad: Ride the Rails on a Button Train [Pdf]
Students will learn how the Transcontinental Railroad enhanced travel across the country. They will compare how quickly people travel today as then. Students will create "button trains" and discuss what trains carried in 1869 and now.
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad
This exhibition explores the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad and its impact on American westward expansion.
Read Works
Read Works: Transcontinental Railroads: Compressing Time and Space
[Free Registration/Login Required] Abridged from the full text located at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, this passage provides information about the development of the transcontinental railroad. Paired texts, a text...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Impact of the Transcontinent Railroad
Provides extensive lesson plans that use photographs, documents, and posters to begin to understand the importance of the Transcontinental Railroad, as well as its influence and the changes it brought to the country.
Other
Brown Quarterly: The Chinese and the Transcontinental Railroad [Pdf]
From The Brown Quaterly (1997) an article describing the role of the Chinese immigrant in building the railroad. Includes images of the Chinese railroad workers. (PDF - scroll down to page 7)
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Binding the Nation by Rail
Read about the explosive growth of railroad track across the United States after the Civil War. Find out about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, the men who made fortunes from the railroads, and the first American regulatory...
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr: Completion of the Pacific Railroad
From Chapter 105 of R. M. Devens' 1878 book, "Our First Century" is this description of the building of the transcontinental railroad and the ceremony of driving the final spike.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr Photographic History Museum: Utah's Role in the Pacific Railroad
A chapter from John J. Stewart's "The Iron Trail to the Golden Spike" about Utah and the transcontinental railroad.
Success Link
Success Link: Transcontinental Railroad
A culminating lesson plan after the study of building the first transcontinental railroad. Uses as its text Stephen Krensky's book, "The Iron Dragon Never Sleeps."
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum: Building of the Iron Road
From an article by B.P. Avery printed in the May, 1869, issue of "Overland Monthly" is this description of the building of the transcontinental railroad including information about the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific...
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr Photographic History Museum: Through to the Pacific
Contains a series of letters published in May and June, 1869, in the "New York Tribune" written by Albert D. Richardson, one of the first people to travel on the transcontinental railroad from coast to coast.
Library of Congress
Loc: Railroad Maps Collection: Transcontinental Railroad
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 Newberry Library
Newberry: Historical Geography: Map 11: The Transcontinental Rail Network, 1878
Lesson for K-12 using historical maps examine the geographic, political, and economic factors that influenced the growth of railroads.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr Photographic History Museum: The Pacific Railroad Unopen
From the September, 1869, magazine, "Overland Monthly", is this article by Robert L. Harris who traveled the route of the Central Pacific Railroad before it was officially opened, and wrote a description of the scenery along the route.
Read Works
Read Works: Building a Railroad to Cross the Country
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the building of the transcontinental railroad. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
PBS
Pbs the West: The Pacific Railway Act: July 1, 1862
The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," provides the text of the actual Pacific Railway Act, designed to aid in the construction of a Railroad and Telegraph Line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr Photographic History Museum: Fusang: The Chinese Who Built America
Provides excerpts from "Fusang: The Chinese Who Built America: The Chinese Railroad Men" by Stan Steiner. Describes how the Chinese contributed to the construction of the transcontinental railroad.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Blast Through the Past: Transportation & Movement in Utah [Pdf]
Fourth graders will discuss the different types of transportation prior to the transcontinental railroad. They will also write an essay using the information discussed to present the pros and cons of transporting eggs to big cities by...
PBS
Pbs: New Perspectives on the West
This in-depth resource presents a history of the American West from pre-Columbian times until World War I with profiles, documents, and images. It encourages visitors to link these into patterns of historical meaning for themselves....
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr Photographic History Museum: Driving the Last Spike at Promontory, 1869
In-depth look at the ceremony at Promontory Point upon the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The author discusses the preparation for the ceremony, the use of four ceremonial spikes, and what became of them. From an article in...
PBS
New Perspectives on the West: The Sierra Nevadas
A brief description and map of Sierra Nevada Mountains. Describes the struggle of Charles Crocker to build the transcontinental railroad through the Sierra Nevadas.
Tom Richey
Tom Richey: Conquest of the American West
This PowerPoint presentation will thoroughly illustrate the significant role the transcontinental railroad played in the economic and cultural development of the nation as it expanded west. What did the political leadership of the nation...