Westward Expansion

  • Presenting to Congress

    Asa Whitney presented the plan of building the railroad from Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast.
  • Oregon Boundary

    The settlement of the Oregon Boundary
  • Western to Mexico

    The aquisition of Western territories from Mexico
  • GOLD

    The discovery of gold
  • Surveying routes

    Congress appropriated funds to survey proposed routes.
  • Kansas-Nebraska Act

    Senator Stephen Doulgas intrudeced this act with intentions to win approval for a line from Chicago
  • Providing Construction

    Republican-controlled congress enacted legislation which provided contruction for the transcontinental rail line.
  • Union Pacifc R.R.

    The Union Pacific R.R. began with construction in Omaha, Nebraska and the Centeral Pacific started in Sacramento, California.
  • Meeting Halfway

    Both the Union and Centeral Pacific lines met a Promontory Summit, Utah.
  • Additional Lines

    Three additional lines were added and finished. Northern Pacific went from Lake Superior to Portland, Oregon. The Santa Fe started at Atchison, Kansas and ended in Los Angeles. The Southerrn Pacific went from LA to New Orleans.
  • A 5th line

    The great northern was completed as a fifth line