The first railroad to open west of the Mississippi began in St. Louis,
Missouri, opening in 1851. The first run on the new line came a year
later. Soon lines were growing in the West.
The joining of the Transcontinental Railroad, 1869
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. 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.