First Transcontinental Railroad

E38256
historic infrastructure project railway line transcontinental railroad

The First Transcontinental Railroad was the 19th-century rail line that first connected the eastern and western United States by land, revolutionizing cross-country travel, commerce, and settlement.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (6)

Surface form Occurrences
Transcontinental Railroad 2
Construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad 1
First Transcontinental Railroad construction 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historic infrastructure project ⓘ
railway line ⓘ
transcontinental railroad ⓘ
authorizedBy Union Pacific Railway Act of 1862 ⓘ
surface form: Pacific Railroad Act of 1862
builtBy Central Pacific Railroad ⓘ
Union Pacific Railroad ⓘ
connects Omaha, Nebraska ⓘ
Sacramento ⓘ
surface form: Sacramento, California

Eastern United States ⓘ
surface form: eastern United States

western United States ⓘ
constructionEndDate 1869 ⓘ
constructionMethod manual labor ⓘ
constructionStartDate 1863 ⓘ
country United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
dateCompleted 1869-05-10 ⓘ
endPoint Sacramento ⓘ
surface form: Sacramento, California
fundingModel federal land grants ⓘ
government bonds ⓘ
gauge standard gauge ⓘ
GoldenSpikeLocation Promontory Summit, Utah Territory ⓘ
heritageStatus National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark ⓘ
impact accelerated economic development of the American West ⓘ
displacement of many Native American communities ⓘ
expanded national market for goods ⓘ
strengthened political unity of the United States ⓘ
inception 1862 ⓘ
laborForce Chinese immigrant workers ⓘ
Civil War veterans ⓘ
Irish immigrant workers ⓘ
Mormon workers ⓘ
legislatedBy United States Congress ⓘ
locatedIn North America ⓘ
notableStructure Summit Tunnel in the Sierra Nevada ⓘ
openingDate 1869-05-10 ⓘ
partOf U.S. intercity passenger rail network ⓘ
surface form: United States railroad network
passesThrough California, United States ⓘ
surface form: California

Nebraska ⓘ
Nevada ⓘ
Utah ⓘ
surface form: Utah Territory

Wyoming ⓘ
surface form: Wyoming Territory
primaryPurpose encourage western settlement ⓘ
facilitate cross-country transportation ⓘ
promote commerce ⓘ
reducedTravelTimeBetweenCoastsTo about one week ⓘ
replaced months-long overland wagon travel ⓘ
signedIntoLawBy Abraham Lincoln ⓘ
significantEvent Golden Spike ceremony ⓘ
startPoint Omaha, Nebraska ⓘ
trackGauge 4 ft 8.5 in ⓘ

Referenced by (9)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Cullen Bohannon → associatedWith → First Transcontinental Railroad ⓘ
this entity surface form: Transcontinental Railroad
"Hell on Wheels" by Gustavo Santaolalla → associatedWithSetting → First Transcontinental Railroad ⓘ
subject surface form: Hell on Wheels (theme by Gustavo Santaolalla)
this entity surface form: Transcontinental Railroad
Promontory Summit, Utah Territory → category → First Transcontinental Railroad ⓘ
this entity surface form: First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States
Hell on Wheels → mainSetting → First Transcontinental Railroad ⓘ
this entity surface form: First Transcontinental Railroad construction
Central Pacific Railroad historic route → partOf → First Transcontinental Railroad ⓘ
Overland Route (historic) → partOf → First Transcontinental Railroad ⓘ
this entity surface form: First transcontinental railroad (United States)
Promontory Summit, Utah Territory → partOf → First Transcontinental Railroad ⓘ
Promontory Summit, Utah Territory → significantEvent → First Transcontinental Railroad ⓘ
this entity surface form: driving of the Golden Spike
Hell on Wheels → subject → First Transcontinental Railroad ⓘ
this entity surface form: Construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad