Why was it so important for the US to have a canal through Central America? How did the principles of the American Revolution influence the debate over American imperialism Approximately how long was the entire National Road? See all questions in The Industrial Revolution and Urbanization. Impact of this question views around the world. Our Privacy Policy sets out how Oxford University Press handles your personal information, and your rights to object to your personal information being used for marketing to you or being processed as part of our business activities.
We will only use your personal information to register you for OUPblog articles. Or subscribe to articles in the subject area by email or RSS. The railroads did not meet at Promontory Point, but at Promontory Summit. I invite you to verify this with the Utah State Historical Society.
Promontory Point is 35 miles away. Buy Now. May 10 th By Maury Klein For Americans in , the driving of the golden spike, which joined the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads at Promontory Point, Utah, on May 10, carried a significance similar to that of the first moon landing for a later generation. Source: National Archives and Records Administration Americans reached out toward a world larger than they had ever imagined, confident of making it smaller through familiarity.
The depot was purchased by the Fernley Preservation Society in January and was moved to its present location on Main Street in September Earlier, in , Englishman George Lovelock settled in the area, attracted by the fertile soil that made the area suitable for agriculture. He built a small stage station there, which eventually became a station on the Central Pacific Railroad. Lovelock is situated in a valley with the Humboldt Range to the east and the Trinity and Seven Troughs ranges to the north and west.
In the s, this valley was known to settlers as Big Meadows because of its abundant grass and water. It also was a favorite resting spot for folks traveling to California and Oregon. To this day, Lovelock remains one of Nevada's most prosperous agricultural districts.
The railroad helped transform Lovelock into a mining, agriculture and retail center. Like many railroad towns, Lovelock had a thriving Chinese population. These settlers developed the area into a large mining community. In fact, nearby Coeur Rochester was once the world's seventh largest silver producer. Along with its various industries, Lovelock's infrastructure grew. In , a post office was established and by the turn of the 20th century, the town's population was 1,, with a school, two churches and an active business district.
It's fair to say that the Central Pacific Railroad was responsible for bringing the country to Winnemucca, and Winnemucca to the rest of the country. The railroad reached the region Sept. Oddly, there was no celebration at the time of the rail's arrival, perhaps because so much more work was ahead as the railroad continued laying tracks on its eastward mission.
By November, the railroad was completed through Humboldt County when, in , Winnemucca would be designated the county seat. The actual naming of the town came earlier, named after a chief of the Piute tribe. Once the railroad arrived, Winnemucca began to flourish. Charles Crocker, one of the original backers of the Central Pacific, thought it was a good place for the railway to intersect the stage lines that ran both north and south. By , Winnemucca was a modern town, with nearly citizens.
It eventually had two hotels, five stores, two stables, two blacksmith shops and a brewery. The town's location — right on the Humboldt River — is nine miles west of the Big Bend, and about 61 miles below the mouth of Reese River. Winnemucca became a depot for trade with neighboring Idaho, and a stage for the mining region that ran through the city. The railroad and mining played an important role in the early days of Battle Mountain. When the Central Pacific Railroad came through the area in October , it encountered a loosely knit community of mining camps inspired by the boomtown of Austin, located 90 miles south.
The town of Battle Mountain is named for a mountain to the southwest, where in the early s Native Americans attacked a band of gold seekers. However, with the railroad's arrival the town moved to Reese River Siding, bringing its name with it. Battle Mountain became a significant shipping point for cattle ranches in the adjacent Pumpernickel and Reese River valleys. Its post office was established in By , Battle Mountain had a population of and was an important meeting point for the Nevada Central Railroad, which connected Austin with the Central Pacific.
That line was shut down in Through most of the 20th century, Battle Mountain's economy was based on shipping, mining and livestock. Today, the city has a population of just over 3, residents. Elko was established in in anticipation of the Central Pacific Railroad's arrival. The rails came through on Christmas Eve that year and served as the east end terminus. The railroad's arrival also provided Elko a year-round connection with the outside world. Charles Crocker, one of the original financiers of the Central Pacific, likely named the town.
Six months after the railroad arrived, development flourished. Elko had two banks, 45 saloons, three hardware stores, eight doctors, eight attorneys and scores of other businesses.
In , the Elko Water and Flour Milling Company opened and would soon be responsible for modernizing the town in two important ways. First, the company brought water to Elko's municipal water system via a canal built from the Humboldt River about nine miles away.
Second, in the s, the mill generated the town's first electricity using a power-producing system associated with the milling process. Elko became a critical distribution point for the Central Pacific in northeastern Nevada, and was quickly established as the central business hub for the otherwise desolate Elko County.
A sizeable population of Chinese immigrants who worked on the railroad returned to Elko after they finished laying the tracks in In October , Union Pacific opened new railroad tracks in Elko as a result of "Project Lifesaver" — an effort that relocated two main line railroad tracks from the heart of downtown. In addition to improving safety, "Project Lifesaver" also transformed the community's transportation network, positioning the city for future growth.
Of all the events that helped shape our nation in the 19th century, few surpassed the importance of what took place on May 10, On that day, the dream of a transcontinental railroad became a reality when the railheads of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads finally met at Promontory Summit, Utah. The event — marked by the driving of a golden spike to complete the line — brought to a finish a grueling 7-year journey that began when President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Pacific Railroad Act on July 1, In some cases, the railroads abused their power as a result of too little competition, as when they charged scandalously high fares in places where they exerted MONOPOLY control.
Railroads also grouped together to form trusts that fixed rates at artificially high levels. Connecting the two American coasts made the economic export of Western resources to Eastern markets easier than ever before. The railroad also facilitated westward expansion, escalating conflicts between Native American tribes and settlers who now had easier access to new territories.
However, the Transcontinental Railroad had a negative impact on the Plains Indians. They were forced to move away from the railroad despite it running through Indian Territory. The workers often killed buffalo for meat, and the track itself disrupted the Plains Indians buffalo hunting. Table of Contents. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.
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