The completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 had a huge impact on the West. It encouraged further settlement in the West as it made travelling their cheaper and easier. It also encouraged the development of towns along the railroad as the railroad made the west less isolated.
How did the transcontinental railroad affect the economy?
It made commerce possible on a vast scale. By 1880, the transcontinental railroad was transporting $50 million worth of freight each year. In addition to transporting western food crops and raw materials to East Coast markets and manufactured goods from East Coast cities to the West Coast, the railroad also facilitated international trade.
How did the westward expansion affect Native Americans?
And the railroad and other rail routes that followed made it easy for large numbers of hunters to travel westward and kill millions of buffalo. That slaughter impacted Native Americans, who had hunted buffalo in moderation, and weakened their resistance to settlement of the west.
How did the railroad change the United States of America?
The railroad schedules also helped to push the United States into changing how it marked time, leading to the adoption of standard time zones in 1883. Construction of the Union Pacific section of the Transcontinental Railroad across Devil's Gate Bridge, Utah, circa 1869. 6. It helped create the Victorian version of Amazon.
What happened to the towns along the transcontinental railroad?
During the railroad’s construction, numerous temporary “hell on wheels” towns of tents and wooden shacks sprung up along the route to provide living quarters for workers. Most of them eventually disappeared, but others, such as Laramie, Wyoming, evolved into towns that provided rail terminals and repair facilities.
How did railroads help the West?
The growth of railroads also stimulated western settlement by providing economic opportunities. Many Chinese and Irish immigrants helped build the railroad, and the railroads created new economic markets. Farmers in the West now had faster, more reliable ways to ship their goods across the country. In addition, the West provided new markets for goods from the eastern states as more and more people moved West, and railroads facilitated faster and cheaper ways of connecting these regions. Not only could people travel further and faster, but so could goods. In 1888 Sears Roebuck used the first print catalog to advertise goods from watches to clothing and furniture, allowing consumers to order from the catalog and have goods shipped to them. By 1883, coordinating railroad schedules had become so important that the country was divided into four time zones.
How did the railroad industry affect Native Americans?
Unfortunately, there were negative effects of the growth of the railroad industry. While railroad companies became important employers of much of the nation's workforce, these large corporations came to dominate, allowing them to charge high rates for shipping and passengers. When workers went on strike, which occurred numerous times in the railroad industry (most notably in 1877), the entire country could be affected when railroads could no longer run on schedule. Finally, the rise of railroads also meant the further decline of Native Americans' rights and the rise in conflicts with Native Americans over land. Aside from the defeat of General Custer at Little Big Horn in 1876, Native Americans suffered heavy losses to both federal troops and settlers. Tribes such as the Lakota Sioux and the Nez Perce were forced to move to reservations or assimilate into "American" society.
How did railroads affect the economy?
Railroads also shaped the development of the economy by driving up demand for iron, coal, lumber, and steel, leading to the rise of new industries. Men like Andrew Carnegie (Carnegie Steel) amassed vast fortunes by creating monopolies in these industries. Railroads not only bought and used these commodities, but they also distributed them across the country. Steel produced in Pittsburgh could be used to build bridges in San Francisco; coal mined in West Virginia could be used to heat homes in Oregon.
