NEW IDEAS
There is really no true person that came up with the idea for a transcontinental railroad, but the idea made its way around bouncing from big investors to average people and even Abraham Lincoln the president. The main idea was to connect the east and west, not to mention the gold rush was still going on, but Abraham Lincoln also wanted it to be used for the military with the civil war going on. Even though the war ended before the railroad was complete it still served a higher purpose to spread out the population.
"The one moral, the one remedy for every evil, social, political, financial,
and industrial, the one immediate vital need of the entire Republic, is the
Pacific Railroad."
- Rocky Mountain News, 186627
"The one moral, the one remedy for every evil, social, political, financial,
and industrial, the one immediate vital need of the entire Republic, is the
Pacific Railroad."
- Rocky Mountain News, 186627
BUILDING TIME AND BENEFITS
This was now official and approved. On May 6th 1862 the house of representatives approved for the line to be built, on June 20th the senate agreed, and on July the 1st Abraham Lincoln signed it into law. There would be two companies building the railroad, the Central pacific building West to East, and the Union Pacific from East to West. Starting in 1863 4000 track layers began work 2/3s of witch were Chinese immigrants in need of jobs.