During the 1840’s a man named Asa Whitney had a vision to connect the East and West Coast together with a railroad (Carvantes 4). He saw the great potential of a railroad stretching across America seeing how it could allow people and resources to travel across the country in a safe and reliable form of transportation. His vision would come to be realized with the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad. Construction of the railroad first began in 1863 and was a very long and expensive process costing up to $96 million (Carvantes 4). However, it proved to be well worth the time, effort, resources, and money. Stretching over 1,776 miles long, the railroad managed to fulfill Whitney’s dream, linking the two coasts together (Carvantes 4). While
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Some of the positive economic impacts of the railroad included job growth, cheaper travel, and easier shipment of resources, while some of the negative economic impacts included cost the cost of the railroad, people were being cheated out of money, and substandard building practices. Some of positive social impacts of the railroad were reduced travel time, job opportunities, and a widespread surge in immigration. Some of the negative social impacts of the railroad included the abolishment of the Pony Express and the creation of Hells on Wheels Towns. While the railroad had not positive impact on the environment, it had several negative ones, including pollution, the death of wildlife, and change in landscape. While it can be argued what the railroad had the most impact on, it is clear that the railroad greatly changed post-civil war …show more content…
How were they going to get all of their resources back east? Transporting goods by wagon trains was difficult as travelers had to deal with quicksand, rattlesnakes, flash floods, storms, and the occasional Indian attack (Kreek 9). Canals were also a posibility, but travel was slow and during the winter, the canals iced up which made travel impossible (Wolmar 33). This is where the transcontinental railroad came into play. The Transcontinental Railroad played a crucial role in the transportation of gold and other precious resources across the nation (Wolmar 39). The railroad was so effective at delivering resources that in the first 10 years of its creation, trains had shipped $50 million worth of goods from coast to coast (Perritano 41). Because of how quickly and efficiently train the railroad successfully expanded the markets by allowing for the faster and more efficient transportation of goods across the nation (Thought
Some of the positive economic impacts of the railroad included job growth, cheaper travel, and easier shipment of resources, while some of the negative economic impacts included cost the cost of the railroad, people were being cheated out of money, and substandard building practices. Some of positive social impacts of the railroad were reduced travel time, job opportunities, and a widespread surge in immigration. Some of the negative social impacts of the railroad included the abolishment of the Pony Express and the creation of Hells on Wheels Towns. While the railroad had not positive impact on the environment, it had several negative ones, including pollution, the death of wildlife, and change in landscape. While it can be argued what the railroad had the most impact on, it is clear that the railroad greatly changed post-civil war …show more content…
How were they going to get all of their resources back east? Transporting goods by wagon trains was difficult as travelers had to deal with quicksand, rattlesnakes, flash floods, storms, and the occasional Indian attack (Kreek 9). Canals were also a posibility, but travel was slow and during the winter, the canals iced up which made travel impossible (Wolmar 33). This is where the transcontinental railroad came into play. The Transcontinental Railroad played a crucial role in the transportation of gold and other precious resources across the nation (Wolmar 39). The railroad was so effective at delivering resources that in the first 10 years of its creation, trains had shipped $50 million worth of goods from coast to coast (Perritano 41). Because of how quickly and efficiently train the railroad successfully expanded the markets by allowing for the faster and more efficient transportation of goods across the nation (Thought