The Transcontinental Railroad

This book explores the installation of the railroad linking the East and West Coasts of the United States. During the Civil War, crossing those areas was the biggest obstacle in uniting our divided nation. An act of Congress in 1862 authorized the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific railroad companies to build a railroad that would link the coasts. On May 10, 1869, the task was completed when a rail line was joined in Promontory, Utah, thus uniting the country.