Beginning in the early 1870s, railroad construction in the United States increased dramatically. Prior to 1871, approximately 45,000 miles of track had been laid. Between 1871 and 1900, another 170,000 miles were added to the nation's growing railroad system. Much of the growth can be attributed to the building of the transcontinental railroads. In 1862, Congress
passed the Pacific Railway Act, which authorized the construction of a transcontinental railroad. The first such railroad was completed on May 10, 1869. By 1900, four additional transcontinental railroads connected the eastern states with the Pacific Coast. Four of the five transcontinental railroads were built with assistance from the federal government through land grants. Receiving millions of acres of public lands from Congress, the railroads were assured land on which to lay the
tracks and land to sell, the proceeds of which helped companies finance the construction of their railroads. Not all railroads were built with government assistance, however. Smaller railroads had to purchase land on which to lay their tracks from private owners, some of whom objected to the railroads and refused to grant rights of way. Laying track and living in and among the railroad construction camps was often very difficult. Railroad construction crews were not only subjected to
extreme weather conditions, they had to lay tracks across and through many natural geographical features, including rivers, canyons, mountains, and desert. Like other large economic opportunity situations in the expanding nation, the railroad construction camps attracted all types of characters, almost all of whom were looking for ways to turn a quick profit, legally or illegally. Life in the camps was often very crude and rough. By 1900, much of the nation's railroad system was in place.
The railroad opened the way for the settlement of the West, provided new economic opportunities, stimulated the development of town and communities, and generally tied the country together. When the railroads were shut down during the great railroad strike of 1894, the true importance of the railroads was fully realized. To find other documents in Loc.gov relating to this topic, use the term railroad with such other terms as land grants, construction and construction camps, transcontinental, and Railroad Strike of 1894. Documents
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Since the focus of this work lies on the role the railroads played in the nineteenth century, the events in the twentieth century will be discussed only minimally. For the railroads, this century was a time of more great mergers, more government regulation, more strikes (in 1946 and 1951), considerable competition from other means of transportation, and an emphasis on tourism as far as passenger travel was concerned. Although the railroads remained America's most important transportation system for the first few decades of the twentieth century, their 'glory days' were over. The railroads did not 'own' the twentieth century like they had owned the late nineteenth. Travel by car, tour bus, and soon, by plane, started the decline of passenger travel, while the railroad industry was also threatened with the emerging economical trucking industry, which promised to take up a large share of the freight business[80].  These years of railroad decline, however, led to a new effort for increased efficiency. Locomotives and equipment were improved, the loading and unloading of freight cars became a science, and mileage was increased per freight car. This was also the age of luxury passenger travel. In 1934 for example, the Union Pacific introduced the Streamliner "City of Salina," an ultramodern, high-speed diesel powered train set which included a coach and a combination coach-buffet. New sleeping cars came with a range of accommodations, including a newly designed roomette, in addition to sections, bedrooms, compartments and drawing rooms. Air-conditioned dining cars used fine china, silver and linen[82]. In 1915, Congress authorized a federal railroad from the Gulf of Alaska to the Yukon River. Woodrow Wilson chose the route from Seward to Fairbanks; Warren Fairbanks drove the symbolic golden spike in 1923. The Alaska Engineering Commission (AEC) supervised forty-five hundred workers on the federal payroll at the height of construction. The AEC also planned, built, and managed the new city of Anchorage from 1915 to 1920. In July 1915, the government auctioned off 655 lots, with strict rules forbidding their development for 'immoral' purposes. Just a few months later, Anchorage already resembled a small town, with retail stores, restaurants and lawyers[83]. The railroads played an important part during World War I and II, transporting supplies and personnel. The position of the railroads at the beginning of WWI was weak. For years, the cost of railroad operation in maintenance, materials, and labor had been increasing. The war brought temporary prosperity with the enormous stimulation of the freight business in 1915 and 1916, but the rising cost of material and higher wages absorbed much of the profits. The railroads could not meet the pressure of war needs. The War Industries Board created a five-member committee, the Railroads War Board, with the task of obtaining cooperation in sharing of equipment, amongst other activities. This voluntary By the 1960s, the passenger train was rarely considered as a means of travel anymore. In October 1971 Congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act, which created Amtrak, a private company. On May 1st 1971 it began managing a nation wide rail system dedicated to passenger service[87]. Dee Brown, writer of Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow (1977), has his own opinion on Amtrak: "� Now only a handful of efficiently operated railroads remain. Most of the passenger traffic has been subsidized by the people's money in a bureaucratic absurdity known as Amtrak, which attempts to run passenger trains over privately owned tracks so worn out that they would not have passed inspection during construction of the first transcontinental railways a century ago[88]". "Today, in the 1970s, Amtrak offers passage from New York to San Francisco in seventy-four hours (if the trains run on time) on an obsolete system that offers neither safety nor elegance[89]". Then again, Brown wrote this over twenty years ago. By the end of the twentieth century, the emphasis in passenger travel lies mostly on luxury rail journeys for adventurers or railway fanatics. Trips to the Grand Canyon, the American and Canadian Rockies, the Pacific Coast, or scenic tours of Vermont are offered by a variety of companies throughout the country. This is not a twentieth century novelty. Decades earlier, the major western railroads sought to promote parks along their routes as a way of encouraging transcontinental passenger traffic. Railroad tourism characteristically involved delivering hundreds of wealthy travelers to a single passenger depot, from where they traveled by horse and stage to a large, luxurious hotel. The railroad companies spent large sums on advertising and other promotional packages to show Americans the wonders of the western landscape. Places such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and most other western parks were introduced to the public in this manner[90]. While the twentieth century is still the era of the automobile and the airplane, it is interesting to speculate on what the future may hold. On this point, John Stilgoe, author of Metropolitan Corridor writes, "if the age of the motorcar ends in a succession of fuel shortages, if Americans look once again to the railroad train for swift, reliable, luxurious travel, the corridor will emerge into public view not as wreckage, but as a wildered antique; something to be restored and modified � Once again, Americans will hearken to the locomotive whistle, the sound of the metropolitan corridor.[91]" What impact did railroads have on cities across the United States of the turn of the 20th century?Railroads helped Americans access new sources of raw materials. New cities grew into manufacturing centers that refined natural resources. Trains required more materials to run and to be built, helping industries grow.
What impact did railroads have on cities across the United States?The simple presence of railroads could bring a city economic prosperity. Railroads even helped shape the physical growth of cities and towns, as steam railroads and then electric street railways facilitated growth along their lines and made suburban living feasible.
How did the transcontinental railroad impact the United States?Connecting the two American coasts made the economic export of Western resources to Eastern markets easier than ever before. The railroad also facilitated westward expansion, escalating conflicts between Native American tribes and settlers who now had easier access to new territories.
How did the railroads affect cities quizlet?Railroads helped cities grow by transporting goods and raw materials. Railroads led to the decline of cities by taking workers away from factories. Railroads led to the decline of cities by moving settlers to rural areas. Railroads helped cities grow by transporting goods and raw materials.
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What impact did railroads have on cities across the United States at the turn of the twentieth century?
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