Union Pacific Railroad: Difference between revisions

[[Image:{{BoiRRDep}}]]In 1869 the Union Pacific Railroad out of Omaha, [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebraska]], and the [[Central Pacific Railroad|Central Pacific Railroad]] out of Sacramento, [[California Genealogy|California]] linked tracks in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_spike Golden Spike] ceremony at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promontory_Summit Promontory Summit], [[Utah Genealogy|Utah]] to form the first [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcontinental_railroad transcontinental railroad service] in the [[United States Genealogy|United States]].<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Central Pacific Railroad," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Central_Pacific_Railroadoldid=299761457 (accessed 6 July 2009); Wikipedia contributors, "Union Pacific Railroad," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Union_Pacific_Railroad oldid=298717292 (accessed 6 July 2009); Wikipedia contributors, "Golden spike," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Golden_spike oldid=290578008 (accessed 6 July 2009), and Wikipedia contributors, "Promontory, Utah," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Promontory,_Utah oldid=297584143 (accessed 6 July 2009).</ref> Settlers were attracted to communities near railroads because they provided access to markets. Railroads encouraged settlement along their routes to help increase the need for their service. If an ancestor settled near a railroad, you may be able to trace their place of origin back to another place along the tracks.  

In order to bind the nation together from [[California Genealogy|California]] to the eastern states visionaries proposed a railroad between the west and east coasts of the [[United States Genealogy|United States]]. During the [[United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865|Civil War]] Congress authorized the building of this railroad. Congress offered [[Grants to Land Companies and Railroads#Railroads|land grants]] along the tracks in a [[Grants to Land Companies and Railroads#Railroads|checkerboard pattern]] as an incentive to the builders. The company that could build the most track would receive the most land.  

Starting in 1865 in [[Omaha Links|Omaha]] and [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebraska]], the&nbsp;Union Pacific&nbsp;Railroad laid their first tracks.&nbsp;They&nbsp;slowly started&nbsp;their&nbsp;westward race toward the oncoming&nbsp;[[Central Pacific Railroad|Central Pacific Railroad]] by building only 40 miles after spending&nbsp;$500,000.&nbsp;As the pace quickened Irish immigrants and soldiers looking for work at the end of the [[United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865|Civil War]] increased the size of the labor force. The Union Pacific faced a shortage of timber for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_ties railroad ties] on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_plains Great Plains] of [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebraska]], and had to defend themselves against hostile Indian attacks, and&nbsp;harsh weather.&nbsp;Eventually they would average a mile of new track a&nbsp;day.&nbsp;In [[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyoming]] they were challenged by deep ravines, and the&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weber_River Weber&nbsp;River] in [[Utah Genealogy|Utah]] was crossed 31 times.<ref>"Contruction" in ''Union Pacitic'' at http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/hist-ov/hist-ov4.shtml (accessed 14 July 2009).</ref>&nbsp;B<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1247607257296_36" /><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1247607257296_196" />y the end of&nbsp;1865&nbsp;the end of the track had only reached Fremont, [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebraska]]. In late 1866&nbsp;they reached North Platte, in 1867 Cheyenne, [[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyoming]], in late 1868 track reached Evanston, Wyoming.<ref>"Union Pacific Railroad End of Track Dateline 1865-1869" in ''Union Pacific'' at http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/maps/graphics/goldspik.gif (accessed 14 July 2009).</ref> On 10 May 1869 the&nbsp;Union Pacific&nbsp;joined track with the&nbsp;Central Pacific at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promontory,_Utah Promontory Summit], [[Utah Genealogy|Utah]] north of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Salt_Lake Great Salt Lake] to form the first [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcontinental_railroad transcontinental railroad] in the [[United States Genealogy|United States]].<ref>"Central Pacific Railroad" in ''American Western History Musuems'' at http://www.linecamp.com/museums/americanwest/western_clubs/central_pacific_railroad/central_pacific_railroad.html (accessed 10 July 2009).</ref> In 1872 a bridge was completed across the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_River Missouri River] to Council Bluffs, [[Iowa Genealogy|Iowa]]. Later in 1904&nbsp;the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucin_Cutoff Lucin Cutoff] was completed across the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Salt_Lake Salt Lake] to shorten the route to Ogden, [[Utah Genealogy|Utah]] and avoid steep mountain grades and curves.<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Lucin Cutoff" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucin_Cutoff (accessed 10 July 2009).</ref> In 1925 the Union Pacific Railroad opened another transcontinental branch&nbsp;from Granger, Wyoming via Boise, [[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]] to Portland, [[Oregon Genealogy|Oregon]]. Through mergers and acquisitions many other lines have been opened to&nbsp;make it&nbsp;one of America's premier railroads.  

&nbsp;[[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebraska]]  

&nbsp;[[Colorado Genealogy|Colorado]]  

&nbsp;[[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyoming]]  

&nbsp;[[Utah Genealogy|Utah]]  

Settlers using the&nbsp;Union Pacific Railroad were likely to be from Eastern or Midwestern states along the tracks of the Union Pacific and connectors such as [[Illinois Genealogy|Illinois]], [[Iowa Genealogy|Iowa]], [[Missouri Genealogy|Missouri]], [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebraska]], [[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyoming<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1247630731765_52" />]], and [[Utah Genealogy|Utah]]. Most would have settled in Utah, [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]], or northern [[California Genealogy|California]].