Curated OER
American West: Railroads
In these American West worksheets, learners cut out the cards related to the American West and the railroads. Students match the cards together.
US National Archives
Our Documents: Pacific Railway Act (1862)
Contains images of the original document and a transcript of the complete text of the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 in an easy to read format. Also contains a brief overview on the background behind this act.
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.
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.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr History Museum: Abstract From the 1862 Annual Report
Here is the explanation of how the land grants given to the railroads through the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 worked in the text from the General Land Office to the Department of the Interior.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr History Museum: Pacific Railroad Acts
See a copy of the document that enacted legislation for the development of a transcontinental railroad. Included is the text of the document also.
Other
Psmre: History of the Union Pacific Railroad
This page from the Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers is part of a larger railroad history site. Includes brief information about the history of the Union Pacific Railroad and other railroads, including a mention of the Pacific...
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.
Country Studies US
Countyr Studies: United States History: The Last Frontier
This site describes the settlement of the West happened quickly with the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the push for the Transcontinental Railroad. With the explosion of the mining and ranching industries, the West was all but...