Building the Rails

 Unlike the steamboats that followed routes of nature, railroads were man-made routes.  Western railroads made settlements wherever they were laid along those routes.  Where the railroad went, so did the people.  As one traveler recorded in 1856, "the prairies and the railroads were made for each other.  For hundreds of miles you didn't need to do anything but raise the turf and lay the rails...in one level unwavering line your road passes through the plain."

The technology of progress and haste defined the Western rails.  Great prizes were received for the first to complete the railroad as in the building of the first transcontinental railroad.  Under the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862, the Central Pacific Railroad was to build eastward from California to join tracks with the Union Pacific in Nevada.  However, the act was amended by Central Pacific lobbyists which allowed both railroads to build as far as they could until they met - with the reward of between $16,000 and $48,000 for each additional mile laid.

The first transcontinental railroad went from an engineering project to a race in which the construction practices of the competitors became a national scandal.  The Credit Mobilier Scandal came to light in 1872 and involved the illegal manipulation of contracts by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Credit Mobilier construction company.  An extensive inquiry was made into charges of bribery when the head of Credit Mobilier gave stock to members of Congress in exchange for construction favors.  Nothing definite could be proved and the matter was dropped, but not before the scandal was the hottest news of the time.

Next time...Construction Practices

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Today in Pioneer History: "On September 16, 1893, the largest land rush in history begins with more the 100,000 people pouring into the Cherokee strip of Oklahoma to claim valuable land that had once belonged to Native Americans.  With a single shot from a pistol, the mad dash began and the pioneers on horseback and in carriages raced to stake their claim of the best acres.

Location, Location, Location

A transcontinental railroad as Asa Whitney proposed, found political obstacles in Congress.  Men were determined that their own constitutes should benefit from the rails.  Men like Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri and Stephen Douglas of Illinois all wanted the proposed railroad to pass through their respective states.

Senator Benton proposed his own route, called the Buffalo Trail from St. Louis to San Francisco. He sent out his brother-in-law, John Fremont to survey the route in 1848.  Fremont thought he knew an easy passage through the Rockies but along with 35 men became snowbound instead.  Fremont reported back that the survey was "entirely satisfactory" even though 10 of his men perished.

Meanwhile a southern route that would link California and the Southwest would create bonds of self interest with the slavery issue.  Davis claimed that the "Southern Trail" would be easier to build and less influenced by the snows of the north. 

In 1853, the Army Corps was authorized to find a practical, working solution to the problem within 10 months.  Captain Andrew A. Humphreys and his selected team studied the topographical maps and surveys for the United States.  The northern route from the Great Lakes along the Missouri River to the Puget Sound was supported by Senator Stephen Douglas, while the Southern Trail was supported by Jefferson Davis and the Buffalo Trail was supported by Thomas Hart Benton.  Politics, Politics, Politics...

A fourth route from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Los Angeles had the advantage of tying in the Mississippi Valley, thus linking with both northern and southern cities,  Could this be the compromise that would settle the transcontinental question?

Next time...the Political Solution
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Today in Pioneer History: "On April 2, 1805, Hans Christian Andersen, one of the world’s greatest storytellers, is born in Odensk, near Copenhagen. He entered the University of Copenhagen in 1828 and the following year, he published his literary spoof A Walk from Amager, which became his first important work. The first, Tales Told for Children, (1835) included “The Princess and the Pea.” Andersen released new collections every year or two for decades as he traveled widely in Europe, Africa, and Asia Minor. His stories include “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” He died in 1875 at age 70.