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The Transcontinental Railroad 1862-1869. The Two Railroads. The Union Pacific Built West, starting in Omaha, NE Constructed by Irish Immigrants Earned: 48K per mile over mts. 32K per mile over hills 16K per mile over plains All rates doubled in a yr. & Miles of Gov. Land.
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The Two Railroads • The Union Pacific • Built West, starting in Omaha, NE • Constructed by Irish Immigrants • Earned: 48K per mile over mts. 32K per mile over hills 16K per mile over plains All rates doubled in a yr. & Miles of Gov. Land • The Central Pacific • Built East, starting in Sacramento, CA • Constructed by Chinese Immigrants • Built through the Rocky Mts. and the Sierra Nevada Mts. • Charles Crocker was the man who introduced the Chinese to RR labor.
The Big Four • 1. The four major railroad companies in CA. • 2. Leader was Leland Stanford (upper right) who was the majority shareholder of the Central Pacific. • 3. As Senator of CA, Stanford won high paying contracts for the RR.
Ogden, UT 1869 • 1. A Golden Spike connected the two railroads. • 2. The spike was connected to telegraph wires in the east. • 3. Leland Stanford drove in the final spike.