BUILDING THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL RAIL

BUILDING THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL RAIL

BUILDING THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD

    From the time when locomotives first set their immense wheels onto the frigid iron of parallel rails, Americans longed for a means of transportation which would connect the separate regions of California and the Eastern states. This need for connection, fueled by manifest destiny led to the building of the first transcontinental railroad. Expansion of the railroads would have been postponed indefinitely without the unfair support the government provided to the robber barons. This unfair support came in the form of excess land grants, exceptionally low interest rates on loans, and loopholes in the wording of the Pacific Railroad Act. These were due in part to bribery and the political power exercised by members of the Big Four and Union Pacific authorities. Although appropriate for this paper, the subject of Chinese workers will not be covered. The government certainly turned their cheek on this matter and a whole paper alone could be devoted to this subject.
    In order to understand the numerous complexities of the issue at hand, one must first comprehend the position of the aptly named “Big Four” which was comprised of Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford and Charles Crocker. These four were persuaded by Theodore Judah to put not just their heart and soul, but also their money into the construction of the railroad.
    Collis Huntington, the most despised member of the Big Four, also lived the longest.

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Huntington was well known for his uncommon combination of thrift, patience, and determination. When he left for California, he had twelve hundred dollars in his pocket.
Upon landing, Huntington possessed nearly five thousand dollars, a true show of his business skills.
    Together with Huntington, Mark Hopkins owned a hardware store in Sacramento. This business was much more lucrative that actually mining for gold in the hills. This store was one of the most profitable and most well known...