Beginnings of the Railroads by Wendy Macgregor

Railroad research……

LISA JUSTUA from US HIST 1312 Writes:
From 1870 to 1900 the railroad industry exploded and aided in the extreme growth of many other business.
In 1862 President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway bill which called for the formation of the Transcontinental railway. This was completed on 05/10/69 at Promontory Point, Utah. Once this occurred the industry exploded. The track miles increased from 52,900 miles in 1870 up to 193,000 miles in 1900. The rapidly expanding railroad industry significantly increased the efficiency of shipping merchandise over long distances and increased the profitability of agriculture and many other businesses.
The railroad industry was one of the largest employers of the time with hundreds of thousands of employees nationwide. This provided financial stability for not only the employees but also the merchants used the railroads to ship their products. The railroad also allowed those living in the cities to be able to move further out to raise families and opened up a whole new realm in the travel industry. People were able to travel longer distances in much shorter periods of time. Travel for pleasure became much more common. With travel came exposure to new cultures and ways of life.
The railroad also significantly changed the landscape of the country. It tore through fields, valleys, mountain ranges , and farm lands and all along the line small towns arose.

http://www.american-rails.com/railroad-history.html
Created Equal Brief 2nd edition page 380-381 Jones, Jacqueline; Wood, Peter; Borstelmann, Thomas;