Impact On The Railroad Essay, Research Paper

Impact of the Railroad

Ever since the 1830s when Horatio Allen imported the first steam locomotive from

Britain, railroads have captured the imagination of Americans. This new machine with

the luxury of riverboats, could cross immense distances and terrains that would exhaust

horses. Railroads made local travel possible and reliable enough for business as well as

for people and families moving west. After realizing how the railroad greatly impacted

the settlement of the west and the development of the country as a whole the government

granted loans and large land sales to the railroad companies.

The railroad was rapidly moving across the west. By 1859 the railroad had

crossed the Missouri river. Then the United States cheered as the central Pacific and

Union Pacific railroads at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1969. The link of the two

railroad lines was and still is signified by a golden spike, making it the first

transcontinental railroad in the US The regional lines multiplied as a result of this and

other transcontinental railroad lines.

Even thought the railroad created a large amount of jobs, after the

transcontinental rail was finished all of the workers or employees were not as much in

demand and therefor relieved of there jobs. This caused a lot of controversy which led to

a series of strikes against the union heads.

Of all the great achievements that the US has made over the centuries I believe

that the railroad is towards the top of the list. It is not only one of the best ways of

trading and transporting goods across the country, it is also a very good mode of

transportation.