Moving West

The first railroad to open west of the Mississippi began in St. Louis, Missouri and was opened in 1851. The first run on the new line came a year later. Soon lines were growing in the West. In 1863 ground was broken in Omaha, Nebraska and in Sacramento, California, for a railroad to cross the Great Plains and western mountains. On May 10, 1869, in Promontory, Utah, the two construction forces met and the Pacific or Transcontinental Railroad was complete. This line ended the need for long sea voyages and long journeys by stagecoach over land. During the next twenty years many other lines would be built and tracks would soon crisscross the nation. Until 1916 rail lines continued to grow, and by the 1920s the country was saturated with lines. In the twentieth century rail roads began to move people less and freight more. With the advent of cars, highways, and airplanes, passenger service steadily declined. Freight also declined as companies found it cheaper to use trucks and planes, but railroads still transport a good deal of America's materials throughout the country.

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