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Unit 1 The Transcontinental Railroad
Reading Comprehension
The Transcontinental Railroad
Before the middle of the 19th century, major trading centers only existed along
America's coastlines, in large port towns where much of the population was
concentrated. However, as more settlers moved westward, cities sprang up along the
frontier, and new centers of trade began to open in the interior of the United States.
Unfortunately, the development of effective overland transportation lagged behind
this rapid westward expansion. The construction of canals helped, but they were
limited in the amount of goods they could transport, and did not extend past the
Mississippi River. In order to solve this problem, a major railroad system into the
West was imperative. By 1828, some short rail lines had already been constructed,
though they were designed only to connect major cities within the same region, like
New York and Boston. Several companies had provided railroads as far as Indiana and
Missouri by the middle of the century, but pressure was mounting to construct a
railway that would lead all the way from the East Coast to California.
Such a feat would require cooperation between the federal government and private
companies. Several projects took shape in the 1840s, when surveyors began to plot
different competing routes from Mid-American railroad stations to territories in the
West, such as Oregon and California. To resolve these differences and devise a plan
for an official railroad, the government conducted its own study, the Pacific Railroad
Survey, which compared all of the potential routes. The government decided to
provide finding for a railroad that ran from Nebraska to Utah, where it would meet up
with a second railway being built from Utah to California. Two companies were
commissioned by the government to build the railroads: the Union Pacific Company
would build the eastern half, while the Central Pacific Company would build the
western section.
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Reading Comprehension
The Transcontinental Railroad
Before the middle of the 19th century, major trading centers only existed along
America's coastlines, in large port towns where much of the population was
concentrated. However, as more settlers moved westward, cities sprang up along the
frontier, and new centers of trade began to open in the interior of the United States.
Unfortunately, the development of effective overland transportation lagged behind
this rapid westward expansion. The construction of canals helped, but they were
limited in the amount of goods they could transport, and did not extend past the
Mississippi River. In order to solve this problem, a major railroad system into the
West was imperative. By 1828, some short rail lines had already been constructed,
though they were designed only to connect major cities within the same region, like
New York and Boston. Several companies had provided railroads as far as Indiana and
Missouri by the middle of the century, but pressure was mounting to construct a
railway that would lead all the way from the East Coast to California.
Such a feat would require cooperation between the federal government and private
companies. Several projects took shape in the 1840s, when surveyors began to plot
different competing routes from Mid-American railroad stations to territories in the
West, such as Oregon and California. To resolve these differences and devise a plan
for an official railroad, the government conducted its own study, the Pacific Railroad
Survey, which compared all of the potential routes. The government decided to
provide finding for a railroad that ran from Nebraska to Utah, where it would meet up
with a second railway being built from Utah to California. Two companies were
commissioned by the government to build the railroads: the Union Pacific Company
would build the eastern half, while the Central Pacific Company would build the
western section.
-5-
