The first transcontinental railroad, built between 1864 and 1869, was the greatest construction project of its era... read more
The government land grants were in a checkerboard pattern on either side of the RR’s 400′ wide right of way. Bonds were sold based on the increased land value when the RR was completed. read more
Before the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, it cost nearly $1,000 dollars to travel across the country. After the railroad was completed, the price dropped to $150 dollars. In 1845, the New York entrepreneur Asa Whitney presented a resolution in Congress proposing the federal funding of a railroad that would stretch to the Pacific. read more