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Asa Whitney
Asa Whitney presents a resolution in Congress endorsing the funding of a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
Senator Stephen Douglas introduced the act with intentions to win approval for a line from Chicago -
Pacific Railroads
Established and authorized the construction of "a single line of railroad and telegraph from a point on the western boundary of the State of Iowa to be fixed by the President of the United States. Union Pacific began construction from Omaha, Nebraska. The Central Pacific started at Sacramento, California. -
Lines Meet
A golden spiked joined the Central and Union Pacific railways ath Promontory Summit, Utah. This completed the first transcontinental railroad -
Additional Lines
The Northern Pacific railway streched from Lake Superior to Portland, Oregon. Santa Fe railway went from Atchison, Kansas to Los Angeles. The Southern Pacific connected Los Angeles to New Orleans. -
Great Northern
This 5th line funs from St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington. It was built with almost no land grants from the federal government.
