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...
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr: Lewis Metzler Clement: A Pioneer of the Central Pacific Railroad
Provides biographical information on Lewis Metzler Clement, the chief engineer for the Central Pacific Railroad, who both designed much of the route and supervised construction of the railroad. Includes several primary sources ranging...
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr Photographic History Museum: High Cost and Challenge of Building the Cprr
Contains the text of a Lewis M. Clement's 1887 statement to the U.S. Pacific Railway Commission, which gives a clear and succinct accounting of the costs incurred and the problems encountered in building the Central Pacific Railroad.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cpr Photographic History Museum: Nitroglycerine
Discusses the use of nitroglycerine in the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr Photographic History Museum: Tunnels of the Pacific Railroad
This site offers an abstract from Van Nostrand's Eclectic Engineering Magazine from 1870 from a paper by John R. Gilliss. A comprehensive look at the tunnels built along the route of 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.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr History Museum: The Pacific Railroad Open: How to Go: What to See
Contains a guide for travel to and through Western America on the Central Pacific Railroad written by Samuel Bowles in 1869.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr History Museum: Railway & Travel Guides and the Pacific Railroad
Ride the rails in the late 19th century by following these travel guides for railroads across the country. Find copies of the guides showing time tables, maps, and descriptions of the trips.
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: 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.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr Photographic History Museum: Locating the Central Pacific Railroad
From a book "The First Transcontinental Railroad" by John Debo Galloway, a civil engineer, comes this comprehensive description of the topography of the route of the Central Pacific Railroad.
Other
Union Pacific: Historical Overview
Provides a historical overview of the Union Pacific Railroad under the following sections: building a road, financing, construction, and post-construction.
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."
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: Chinese Immigrants and Mexican Americans
Discusses the conflict with Mexican American and Chinese groups as white settlers pushed westward in the nineteenth century. Explains what brought so many Chinese immigrants to America and the roadblocks and discrimination that they had...
A&E Television
History.com: 10 World Engineering Marvels
These remarkable feats of design and construction transformed the ways that people travel, communicate and live. For thousands of years, mankind has engineered remarkable structures such as the pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Golden Spike National Park: The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862
Short description of the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 from the National Park Service.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: The Surveys
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the surveys that were done to determine where to route the transcontinental railroad, and where it was finally built. These surveys provide...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Other Transcontinentals
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the other railroad companies that were competing to build a transcontinental line.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: The Iron Road
A good summary of the history of the building of first transcontinental railroad and images of the transcontinental railroad. From the introduction to the PBS video, The Iron Road.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Transcontinental Railroad
Explore the mechanics of railroad trains. Investigate boom towns and explore the life and challenges of sheriffs in these frontier settlements.
PBS
Pbs the West: The Grandest Enterprise Under God
The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," depicts the coming of the railroad throughout the west and the consequences of the settling of the west.
Other
Literature Learning Ladders: Laurence Yep "Dragon's Gate"
This site offers an overview of Lawrence Yep's "Dragon's Gate." Includes resource links but only a few work in the archived version of the site.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr History Museum: The First Rail Laid
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.