Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad

On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, a bold, symbolic statute that authorized the construction of the transcontinental railroad, designed to unite our country at a time when the Civil War was threatening to divide it. Readers will discover that getting Lincoln to approve the project was the easy part. Alternating chapters follow the railroad's progress westward from Omaha with the Union Pacific Railroad and eastward from Sacramento with the Central Pacific Railroad, until the two lines meet in Promontory Summit, Utah. Clear, uncluttered maps show where each section's tracks are being laid, while archival photographs, which occasionally sacrifice clarity for authenticity, show the workers (Welsh, Irish, Chinese); displaced Native Americans; unforgiving terrain; and rudimentary equipment used to tunnel through mountains or cross the vast plains. Well-positioned and comprehensive sidebar material adds fascinating detail about the people (investors, surveyors, engineers, laborers) and places involved in the project. An epilogue follows the post-construction lives of the men, such as Central Pacific president Leland Stanford, introduced in these sidebars. In addition, a timeline, particularly helpful because of the nonlinear text, is appended along with documentation, a bibliography, photo credits, and an index. Betty Carter

In 1862 President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, which authorized construction of the transcontinental railroad. Alternating chapters follow the railroad's progress westward from Omaha and eastward from Sacramento until the two lines meet in the middle. Well-positioned and comprehensive sidebar material--along with archival photographs and clear, uncluttered maps--add fascinating detail about the people and places involved in the project. Timeline. Bib., ind.