how did the transcontinental railroad influence settlement

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.

Full Answer

What did the transcontinental railroad do for the west?

“What the transcontinental railroad did was bring the West into the world, and the world into the West,” explains James P. Ronda, a retired University of Tulsa history professor and co-author, with Carlos Arnaldo Schwantes, of The West the Railroads Made.

How did the Transcontinental Railroad change America?

Here are some of the ways that the first transcontinental railroad—and the many other transcontinental lines that followed it—changed America. Map of the transcontinental route of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad and its connections, circa 1883. 1. It made the Western U.S. more important.

What was the impact of the railroad on the country?

The country, from its commerce to the environment to even its concept of time, was profoundly altered after the completion of the railroad's 1,776 miles of track.

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.

What was the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad?

The Impact of the Transcontinental Railroad. On May 10, 1869, as the last spike was driven in the Utah desert, the blows were heard across the country. Telegraph wires wrapped around spike and sledgehammer transmitted the impact instantaneously east and west. In San Francisco and New York, wires had been connected to cannons facing outward ...

What was the railroad?

The railroad was America's first technology corridor. Improved Public Discourse. As it encouraged the growth of American business, so too did it promote evolution of the nation's public discourse and intellectual life.

What was the web of rails?

A Web of Rails. The transcontinental railroad did not long remain the sole venue of travel through America's center. Lines spiderwebbed outward from its branch points, conveying north and south the settlers coming west to consume millions of acres of land.

What happened to the wires in San Francisco and New York?

In San Francisco and New York, wires had been connected to cannons facing out ward across the ocean. When the signal from the spike came through, the cannons fired. The world was put on notice: the transcontinental railroad was completed and America was moving to the forefront of the world's stage. The World Grew Smaller.

What happened in 1890?

By 1890, even the Powder River Valley — the rich hunting ground so hard won by red Cloud and the Oglala Sioux — would be lost. New treaties scattered the Indians to reservations and opened the last great Native American holding to the settlers so steadily branching outward from the iron road.

When was the Suez Canal opened?

Opened in November, 1869, Egypt's Suez Canal linked Asia and India to Europe by a single waterway, thus ensuring that exchange between the two regions would continue to circumvent American soil. However, the transformation achieved in intracontinental trade was substantial.

Who dreamed of a competing canal?

A Competing Canal. Railroad pioneer Asa Whitney had once dreamed an iron route would re-center the world toward America, making it a conduit of exchange between Asia and Europe. In this sense, his vision of the grand project remained unfulfilled.