Railroad Expansion

Linking East and West As more Americans began moving west, the need to send goods and information between East and West increased. The Pony Express used a system of horses to pass information over 2,000 miles. Americans wanted a transcontinental railroad built to connect the East and West. The U.S. government gave millions of acres of land to railroad companies to start building.

The Great Race Two companies led the race to complete the transcontinental railroad (1863): Union Pacific: started in Omaha, Nebraska. Central Pacific: started in Sacramento, California. Workers has to blast through mountains to lay track. On May 10, 1889, workers and reporters met at Promontory, Utah to connect the railroads. A golden spike was used to connect East and West.

The Effects of the Railroads The transcontinental railroad increased both economic and population growth in the West. Railroad companies provided better transportation people and goods. A trip that once took a month by a wagon now only took 4 days. 1865: 35,ooo miles of track. 1890: 199,ooo miles of track. Railroads became the biggest industry in the United States.

Ranchers Build the Cattle Kingdom Cattle ranching fueled another western boom over vast acres of grass for feeding cattle. Now the railroad provided the means for the meat to reach the eastern markets, the race for land was on. Under the open-range system, property was not fenced in and cattle were branded and free to graze. In the spring, cowboys would round up the cattle and drive them to the railroads to be shipped.

Farmers Settle on the Homesteads The Great Plains were the last part of the country to be heavily settled. Originally set aside for Indians because it was viewed as too dry, the transcontinental railroad allowed for farmers to move into the plains. In 1862, the government offered farm plots of 160 acres to anyone willing to live on the land for 5 years = Homestead Act. Life was hard with windstorms, blizzards, droughts, and plagues.

Competition, Conflict, and Change As the plains were settled, miners, ranchers, and farmers clashed over how the land was to be used. Ranchers labeled farmers as “sodbusters” to insult their work and homes. Grazing cows destroyed crops, and the invention of barbed wire ended the cowboy era. The competition for land and water led to distrust and sabotage; but no matter who won, Native Americans lost land and hunting grounds. By 1890, there was no square mile left without a white inhabitant, and the “frontier” was officially closed.