RAILROADS

PACIFIC RAILWAY ACTTRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD

Union PacificGreenville DodgeCivil War VetsEx-convictsCooksAdventurers Irish Immigrants1086 miles of track

Central Pacific

Leland StanfordHired workers from ChinaPaid $1/day

688 miles of track

HELPED THE ECONOMYStimulated the economyPeople spent money on steel, coal, timber, and other materials

CORNELIUS VANDERBILTMerged 3 small New York railroads to form New York Central

1871 started building Grand Central Station

1st direct line from NYC to Chicago

TIME ZONES4 times zones

Eastern Central Mountain Pacific

Federal Government ratified in 1918Created to avoid railroad accidents

ROBBER BARONS People who loot an industry and give nothing back

Land Grants Railroads sold land to settlers, real estate companies, and other businesses to

raise money to build the railroads

Railroad companies were given 120 million acres of public land

JAY GOULD

Corrupt Railroad owner

CREDIT MOBILER SCANDALConstruction companies set up several stockholders of the Union Pacific Railroad

Sold contracts to themselves and the railroad paid

Millions were made by the investorsCongress was sold shares of stock

JAMES J. HILL Built the Great Northern Railroad

Offered low fares to people that lived along route

Sent supplies to the west that would go to Asia

Supplies went both ways

Only Railroad to not go bankrupt