Union Pacific Railroad: Difference between revisions

| link4=[[First Transcontinental Railroad]]

Starting in 1865 in [[Omaha Links|Omaha]] and [[Nebraska, United States Genealogy|Nebraska]], the Union Pacific Railroad laid their first tracks. They slowly started their westward race toward the oncoming [[Central Pacific Railroad|Central Pacific Railroad]] by building only 40 miles after spending $500,000. 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, United States Genealogy|Nebraska]], and had to defend themselves against hostile Indian attacks, and harsh weather. Eventually they would average a mile of new track a day. In [[Wyoming, United States Genealogy|Wyoming]] they were challenged by deep ravines, and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weber_River Weber River] in [[Utah, United States 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> By the end of 1865 the end of the track had only reached Fremont, [[Nebraska, United States Genealogy|Nebraska]]. In late 1866 they reached North Platte, in 1867 Cheyenne, [[Wyoming, United States 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 Union Pacific joined track with the Central Pacific at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promontory,_Utah Promontory Summit], [[Utah, United States 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, United States Genealogy|Iowa]]. Later in 1904 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, United States 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 from Granger, Wyoming via Boise, [[Idaho, United States Genealogy|Idaho]] to Portland, [[Oregon, United States Genealogy|Oregon]]. Through mergers and acquisitions many other lines have been opened to make it one of America's premier railroads.  

Some of the towns, with their modern county names, built along the original transcontinental Union Pacific Railroad from east to west were:  

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promontory,_Utah Promontory Summit], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Elder_County,_Utah Box Elder County]

Ogden connected the [[Central Pacific Railroad|Central Pacific]] tracks to  

Settlers using the Union Pacific Railroad were likely to be from Eastern or Midwestern states along the tracks of the Union Pacific and connectors such as [[Illinois, United States Genealogy|Illinois]], [[Iowa, United States Genealogy|Iowa]], [[Missouri, United States Genealogy|Missouri]], [[Nebraska, United States Genealogy|Nebraska]], [[Wyoming, United States Genealogy|Wyoming]], and [[Utah, United States Genealogy|Utah]]. Most would have settled in Utah, [[Nevada, United States Genealogy|Nevada]], or northern [[California, United States Genealogy|California]].  

There are no known Union Pacific Railroad passenger list records.

== Workers on the Railroad ==

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_Railroad Wikipedia - Union Pacific Railroad]  

*[http://www.up.com/ Union Pacific] - including history, photos, financing, construction, post-construction, and mergers  

*[http://www.linecamp.com/museums/americanwest/western_clubs/union_pacific_railroad/union_pacific_railroad.html American Western History Musuems - Union Pacific Railroad]