A railroad that would span the continent and connect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts
Transcontinental railroad
Financial aid and grants from the government
Subsidies
Towns located near railroads to market and ship cattle
Cow towns
Land act that allotted up to 160 acres to settlers at $1.25/acre, settlers had to live on homesteads for five years and make improvements/farm the land
Homestead Act
Land act that was passed by government that set aside land to build the transcontinental railroad
Pacific Railway Act
African-Americans who migrated from Southern states to settle in Kansas, named after the biblical Book of Exodus
Exodusters
Came to US for gold rush, eventually worked Central Pacific RR, 11000 in total, many Chinese worked on blowing up Sierra Nevada Mountains in the West, nearly 1200 died
Chinese Immigrants (RR)
Location in Utah where the Union Pacific RR and Central Pacific RR met, transcontinental RR was completed May 10 1869