Promoting the Transcontinental Railroad

In 1866, The Union Pacific Railroad arranged an all-expense paid trip for a group of influential citizens and government officials so they could witness firsthand the railroad’s construction progress “Out West”. This was known as the “Grand Excursion to the 100th Meridian”. The Meridian was a point in the Platte Valley of Nebraska where the railroad had so far reached in its progress towards its eventual meeting with the Central Pacific Railroad at Promontory Point, Utah.

Congress had mandated that periodic monitoring be done to make sure sufficient progress was being made on the railroad and monies spent on building the railroad were not going to waste. This excursion was actually more of a boondoggle and a reason to spend more of the government’s own money. The Union Pacific’s director spared no expense to entertain his guests and demonstrate the success of their ventures and investment.

Nothing was spared in making this excursion a memorable one for the travelers aboard the Union Pacific trains. The railroad, intent on ensuring a steady supply of funds for its continued construction needs, made sure that the excursionists were suitably impressed. Ultimately the trip was a success as funding continued and enabled the Central Pacific to succeed. Never before had so much been spent on a rail trip for so few. 

It was a public relation's extravaganza that the railroad's organizers hoped would bring more money and investment into the transcontinental railroad. Politicians and dignitaries were wined and dined over a three-day period of unrivaled opulence out in the middle of the untamed West.

The Union Pacific had arranged a stop near the shelter of an outcropping of rock, rare out on the prairie. The organizers planned a dinner and entertainment under the stars for its excursion guests. Sparing no expense, this stop was hoped to further cement the continued flow of government money into the Union Pacific coffers. The transcontinental railroad was never hugely popular, especially during the war years. If not for the expected allegiance to the Union from the western states, the entire project may have never gotten off the ground. These little “excursions” helped to raise the spirit and patriotism of the railroad’s guests to continue funding the project. It didn’t hurt to line the pockets of many Congressmen either when it came to funding the votes it needed.

In the early years of train travel in the United States, passenger cars consisted of little more than transferring bodies from one place to another. There was little regard for the comforts of those aboard. Sleeper cars were unheard of and sanitary facilities were usually no more than a curtain and a bucket at one end of the car. Bad luck to the passengers who were seated near that end of the car. Air conditioning was an open window and heating was sometimes a wood stove that either over-heated some passengers or gave little comfort to those on the other end of the car. Dining onboard was what you personally brought or if you were lucky, a dinner stop at a dining hall. The excursion participants, because of their exalted positions, were the lucky recipients of dinner by campfire on tables bedecked with white tablecloths and gleaming silver.

The Union Pacific was not taking any chances in their efforts to influence and impress the excursionists. The organizers of the excursion had pre-erected several tents near the rail stop and filled them with all the creature comforts one could ever hope to have out in the wild west. Soft beds and carpets were laid out. Sufficient water was provided, carried aboard in a special car directly from Omaha. During the day, several intrepid riders went foraging for game to provide the night’s repast. Three elk and four deer were shot and brought back to camp.

In its attempt to entertain its guests, the excursion planners had arranged several scenarios that didn’t quite work out as planned. They thought that the guests would appreciate a mock Indian raid, so without notifying guests beforehand, the attack they arranged occurred early in the morning and scared several people who were jarred awake, fearing that they may be murdered by the “savages.” A buffalo hunt was arranged by the railroad. It was not a success because several of the guests came back to the camp empty-handed.

The railroad also thought that it would be entertaining for the passengers to see a “genuine prairie fire” so one was lit.  As the train pulled away on its journey, the fire burned out of control and spread, upsetting the Indians whose lands were charred in the aftermath. No wonder the Native Americans grew to hate the Iron Horse.

Who was Thomas Durant?

Who was Thomas Durant?

No discussion of the building of the transcontinental railroad should omit the mention of Thomas Durant and his contribution to getting that monumental project completed. Not without controversy, he stirred up both friends and foes along the way while pursuing his dream of joining both coasts by rail. 

Born in 1820 to a wealthy family in Massachusetts, he entered medical school at 20 where he graduated magna cum laude and became a surgeon. He went on to work for his uncle in the grain business where he first became acquainted with railroads as a means to improve the transport of grain. His love for the railroad propelled him into forming the Mississippi and Missouri railroad. The chief achievement of the new company was the building of the first bridge over the Mississippi River. This accomplishment came with its own problems. After a riverboat hit the bridge, Durant's company was sued to tear down the structure. Durant hired no other than one Abraham Lincoln to represent him in the legal proceedings which turned in his favor. This new relationship had other benefits when in 1862 then President Lincoln selected Durant's Union Pacific company to begin the construction of the transcontinental railroad in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Durant was on his way.

A savvy businessman, he was very creative in raising capital for the transcontinental railroad through various stock schemes, Congressional funding, and many other questionable dealings. Despite or perhaps in spite of his financial machinations, he managed the Union Pacific's part of the transcontinental railroad from its beginnings in Iowa through to Promontory Point, Utah where it met the Central Pacific and the historic golden spike. 

His later years were not so kind to Thomas Durant. He lost vast sums of money in the Great Panic of 1873 and spent his last years until his death in 1885 fighting lawsuits from disgruntled investors.  

150th Anniversary of the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad

Golden Spike Ceremony at Promontory Point, Utah 

On May 10th 2019, my husband and I were two of 20,000 people who celebrated at Promontory Summit, Utah the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, marking the achievement of the railroads and railroad workers who risked everything to make the Transcontinental Railroad a reality.

The parking tickets sold out quickly and we bought ours online immediately when we heard that we couldn't join in on the festivities unless we showed the permit on our dashboards.  Traffic signs warned of delays because of this "Major Event", as the city officials called it.  The traffic was heavy, but once we pulled in to the dusty "parking lot", which was, in reality, a dusty field, I felt a lump in my throat when we saw the train from the west and the one from the east facing each other, with men recreating the famous picture of two men celebrating with champagne and toasting each other. 

My husband and I brought along folding chairs to listen to the speeches by the dignitaries, including the governor of Utah, the Heads of the US Departments of Transportation and Interior, Mitt Romney, an actor from the series, Hell on Wheels, the ambassador of Ireland, and descendants of those who worked on the railroad. My favorite part of the day was listening to the keynote speaker, Jon Meacham, a historian, and author.  His eloquence brought tears to my eyes: “We should not sentimentalize the American experience,” Meacham said. “The nation has been morally flawed, often egregiously so, from the beginning. We must be honest about that.”

He went on to say, “If the men and women of the past, with all of their flaws and limitations and ambitions and appetites, could press on through ignorance and superstition and racism and sexism, through selfishness and greed, to form a more perfect union, then perhaps we too can right wrongs and leave things better than we found them.” 

Elaine L. Chao was my second favorite speaker of the day.  She reminded us that within three years of its completion, trains could travel from New York City to San Francisco in just one week.  Prior to that, travelers endured up to 6 months or more of dangerous travel by ship or covered wagon to cross the continent.

The transcontinental railroad was built by Civil war veterans from both the North and the South who worked together, along with Mormon settlers, African-Americans, Native Americans, and, Chinese laborers. Building from the West, the Central Pacific Railroad hired 15,000 workers, of whom 12,000 or more were Chinese immigrants. These are the men whose jobs were to blast through the granite of the imposing Sierra Nevada mountains. It was dangerous work using explosives and many lost their lives.

The governor, wearing a top hat, joined a few other men to recreate the pounding of the "golden" spike, which was actually a copper spike, made especially for the anniversary.  After the speeches and recreations were over, fireworks lit up the afternoon sky and a flyover of four planes in formation, saluted this grand achievement--the most important engineering feat of the 19th century and the symbol of the east and west joining together making the United States one connected nation, filled with many ethnicities who worked with each other to get the job done.