There was a time when traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast meant riding for months in a horse-drawn wagon or stagecoach, or . It made commerce possible on a vast scale. The completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 had a huge impact on the West. It cut through the Great Plains, through land belonging to the Lakota, Cheyenne, Pawnee, Arapahoe and other Indigenous groups. Within ten years of its completion the railroad shipped $50 million worth of freight coast to coast every year. After watching the videos in this gallery, students will create a museum exhibit to celebrate the anniversary of the American Transcontinental Railroad . How did the transcontinental railroad impact western population? Explanation: ! It altered Americans' concept of reality. In many ways, the Transcontinental Railroad was a tool of brute American expansion. The building of the transcontinental railroad opened up the American West to more rapid development. 10 Ways the Transcontinental Railroad Changed America How did the transcontinental railroad transform the West and unite the nation? It helped create the Victorian version of Amazon. Just as it opened the markets of the west coast and Asia to the east it brought products of eastern industry to the growing populace beyond the Mississippi. The idea of building such a line was present in America for decades before the construction was authorized by the Pacific Railroad Acts of 1862 and 1864. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad dramatically catalyzed the development of the West, a process that both extended settlement and mining into otherwise unreachable areas and caused desertification (or, dry and arid conditions) in places along the route. A quarter century before that moment at Promontory, Ralph Waldo Emerson envisioned what the railroad might mean for American life. Impact on the United States The building of the transcontinental railroad opened up the American West to more rapid development. History Ch. 11-13 Test Flashcards | Quizlet However, with the Civil War at the nation's forefront, the project was not completed until 1869, when the Central Pacific, coming from the west, and the Union Pacific, the east, met at Promontory Point, Utah. When the transcontinental railroad was proposed, the country began to view the notion of cross country train travel as a reality. Did the transcontinental railroad bring settlers to the West? It made travel more affordable. Driving in of the Golden Spike in Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10th, 1869 to mark the completion of the first American transcontinental railroad - joining the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads. What states did the transcontinental railroad go through? With the completion of the track, the travel time for making the 3,000-mile journey across. How did the transcontinental railroad transform the West? By 1880 the transcontinental railroad was transporting $50 million worth of freight each year. The government was handing out large amount of money and local politicans became greedy The railroad would cut directly through Indigenous lands, and change the physical and political landscape of the country forever. North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the " Pacific Railroad " and later as the "Overland Route") was a 1,911-mile (3,075 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on . The Transcontinental Railroad was built in 1869, which led to more efficient transportation. 10 Ways the Transcontinental Railroad Changed America It made the Western U.S. more important. In 1863, the Central Pacific Railroad began laying tracks in Sacramento, California, working eastward. The railroad also facilitated westward expansion, escalating conflicts between Native American tribes and settlers who now had easier access to new territories. As the move west started picking up california had a gold rush at sutters mill. The "how did the transcontinental railroad and the homestead act lead to the close of the frontier" is a question that this blog will answer. How Did The Transcontinental Railroad Spur Western Settlement Soon new railways branched off of the Transcontinental Railroad, and others ran parallel to it, creating a network of tracks that transformed the West from an unpopulated wilderness to a thriving region of mining and agriculture. It changed where Americans lived. It made commerce possible on a vast scale. See also When Do It Start Getting Cold? [https://useruploads.socratic.org /y1WbvrNQQvaNRYGd6Xvo_transcontinental_railroad_west.jpg) Changing the Landscape | DPLA - Digital Public Library of America Transcontinental Railroad - HistoryNet It made travel more affordable. How Did The Transcontinental Railroad Change The Country Trains had transformed the economy there by allowing goods and people to move rapidly. Among the many positive effects of the transcontinental railroad are the following improvements: faster and safer transportation from coast to coast, boosts in international and intercontinental trade, faster spreading of ideas and expansion of the United States into areas not previously settled. Workers drove spikes into mountains, filled the holes with black powder, and blasted through the rock inch by inch. 10 Ways the Transcontinental Railroad Changed America It made the Western U.S. more important. Effects of Transcontinental Railroad on Western US The transcontinental railroad was built in six years almost entirely by hand. How did the transcontinental railroad develop the West? How Did Railroads Change The West - Realonomics The transcontinental railroad transformed the west because it made the idea of manifest destiny so much easier to achieve. How Railroads Forever Changed the Frontier | AMERICAN HERITAGE Addressing a Boston audience, he described railroads as "a magician's rod, in its power to evoke the sleeping energies of land and water.". How did the railroad affect the westward expansion? 10 Ways the Transcontinental Railroad Changed America. Advertisement Advertisement It altered Americans' concept of reality. How Did The Transcontinental Railroad Help Unite The Nation Negative effects existed as well. The Impact of the Transcontinental Railroad | American Experience - PBS How Did The Transcontinental Railroad Change The Country? The Transcontinental Railroad transformed the West because it linked it to the east, therefore enabling a faster export of agriculture from the West to the East. The Railroad That Changed America - Scholastic The transcontinental railroad transformed the West because it gave them easy and efficient shipping methods to exchange goods with the East therefore allowing the West to expand and develop at a fast rat. 17 Epic Facts about the Transcontinental Railroad - OldWest How did the Transcontinental Railroad affect the United States? It changed where Americans lived. The Impact of the Transcontinental Railroad American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming On May 10, 1869, as the last spike was driven in the Utah desert, the blows were heard across the. The Transcontinental Railroad was also known as the Pacific Railroad for a while and later on as the Overland Route - after the main passenger transport service that operated the line. With less travel time, people could move further into new lands and settle there. The Transcontinental Railroad contributed to massive growth in the cattle industry but also instigated new land conflicts with Native tribes and contributed to the extinction of the buffalo. How Did Railroads Develop The West? | Worldwide Rails Also it provided easy and quick transportation for people from East to West and West to East. The transcontinental railroad had a major effect on how Americans perceived their nation, and it became a symbol of America's growing industrial power and a source of confidence that led them. See also When Do It Start Getting Cold? 10 Ways the Transcontinental Railroad Changed America It also encouraged the development of towns along the railroad, as the railroad made the west less isolated. Also it provided easy and quick transportation for people from East to West and West to East. How did the railroad help change the prairie? 1 Answer LITAP Apr 3, 2017 The Transcontinental Railroad transformed the West because it linked it to the east, therefore enabling a faster export of agriculture from the West to the East. First transcontinental railroad - Wikipedia The railroads also gave access to many trade spots, which in result connected them all, making the economy of America BOOM. How Did The Transcontinental Railroad Transform The West?? How did the transcontinental railroad transform the west How did the transcontinental railroad transform the west? How did the railroad change the western frontier? Building a railroad to California could bring the country, and its prosperity, west. Congress gave the job to two companies. It encouraged further settlement in the West as it made travelling their cheaper and easier. They placed explosives in each hole, lit the fuses, and were, hopefully, pulled up before the powder was detonated. The Transcontinental Railroad | The West | PBS LearningMedia How did government grants to build railroads result in large-scale corruption? The transcontinental railroad transformed the West because it gave them easy and efficient shipping methods to exchange goods with the East therefore allowing the West to expand and develop at a fast rat. It helped create the Victorian version of Amazon. How Did the Transcontinental Railroad Make Travel Easier in the Late In addition to transporting western food crops and raw materials to East Coast markets and manufactured goods from East Coast cities to the West Coast the railroad also . Nowhere did Emerson's prediction seem more true than in the . Transcontinental Railroad - Construction, Competition & Impact - HISTORY