transcontinental telegraph
E82988
The transcontinental telegraph was the first coast-to-coast telegraph system in the United States, enabling near-instant communication across the country and rendering long-distance mail services like the Pony Express obsolete.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
communication infrastructure
→
telegraph system → |
| authorizedBy |
United States Congress
→
|
| builtBy |
Overland Telegraph Company of California
→
Pacific Telegraph Company → Western Union Telegraph Company → |
| communicationLatency |
near-instant compared to mail
→
|
| communicationType |
long-distance telegraphy
→
|
| completionDate |
October 24, 1861
→
|
| connects |
East Coast of the United States
→
West Coast of the United States → |
| connectsCities |
Omaha, Nebraska
→
Sacramento, California → |
| constructionStartDate |
1861
→
|
| continent |
North America
→
|
| country |
United States
→
|
| effect |
accelerated communication between the U.S. coasts
→
integrated western territories more closely with the eastern United States → reduced reliance on long-distance mail services → rendered the Pony Express obsolete → |
| endPoint |
Sacramento, California
→
|
| era |
American Civil War era
→
|
| followedBy |
transcontinental telephone service
→
|
| historicalSignificance |
first coast-to-coast telegraph system in the United States
→
major milestone in U.S. communications history → |
| impactOnBusiness |
enabled rapid financial and commercial transactions across the U.S.
→
|
| infrastructureElement |
copper wire
→
telegraph poles → |
| legalBasis |
Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860
→
|
| lineRoute |
Missouri River to the Pacific Coast
→
across the Great Plains → through the Rocky Mountains → through the Sierra Nevada → |
| medium |
overland telegraph line
→
|
| operatedBy |
Western Union Telegraph Company
→
|
| powerSource |
telegraph batteries
→
|
| precededBy |
regional telegraph networks in the eastern United States
→
|
| purpose |
enable near-instant communication across the United States
→
facilitate commercial communication → support government and military communications → |
| relatedTo |
American Civil War communications
→
Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860 → Pony Express → Western Union → |
| replacedService |
Pony Express
→
|
| signalType |
Morse code
→
|
| startPoint |
Omaha, Nebraska
→
|
| status |
historical
→
|
| technology |
electric telegraphy
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Pony Express
→
|
replacedBy |