Railroads

1862 - Pacific Railway Act - est. charter for two companies for transcontinental railroad.

Union Pacific - from Omaha, westward

Central Pacific - from Sacramento, eastward

Companies given Subsidies (government aid)

$16,000 per mile on flat land

$48,000 per mile over mountains

Chinese from the West  /  Irish from the East

May 10, 1869 - completed - Promontory Point, Utah

Reduced  3 month journey to 1 week.

Railroad created a way to move longhorn cattle to eastern markets, the process created cities like --  Abilene, Kansas as Rail Spurs.

The Railroad and Telegraph ended the Pony Express

The Pony Express

Operated 1860-61 -- delivered mail from

St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, usually in 10 days.

Made up of:

400 horses

  80 riders

190 stations

stations 10 to 15 miles a day

75 miles a day average per carrier

200 miles a day--average distance

Cost at first $5.00 for 1/2 ounce letter

Later $1.00 for 1/2 ounce letter

Fastest Run -- 7 days, 17 hours

Pony Express ended--October 26, 1861

Two days after the first Transcontinental Telegraph was sent.

Innovations as a Result of the Railroad

Air Brakes -- George Westinghouse

Sleeping Cars -- George Pullman

Standard Time Zones

Coast to Coast communication with the Telegraph  --

     Samuel F.B. Morse

Steel to replace Iron Tracks  -- Henry Bessemer

Railroad Circus -- P.T. Barnum 

The Railroad also make it possible, through faster and cheaper transportation, for the rise of Tycoons and the development of Trust

A trust is like a monopoly -- This allows one man to have almost total control over his business such as:

Standard Oil Trust -- John D. Rockefeller

Steel -- Andrew Carnegie

Investment Bankers -- J.P. Morgan

Railroads -- Vanderbilt

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