East Meets West: First Transcontinental Railroad 1869
Once upon a time, a trip from the east coast of the United States to California was an arduous journey. It required weeks of travel through inhospitable grasslands and deserts, over treacherous mountains and dangerous rivers. The only other option was to sail by boat all the way around the South American continent.
Beginning in the 1830s, the railroad was the fastest, most modern mode of transportation. Within a few decades, the push was on to link the east with the west via a transcontinental railroad. In these colorized photographs, we can see the construction of the railroad that would finally connect both coasts.