The Pony Express & Transcontinental Railroad

Explore the Pony Express & Transcontinental Railroad! Learn how they shaped Westward Expansion.

Westward Expansion: The Pony ExpressThe Pony Express was a mail delivery service that ran between Missouri and California. Using the Pony Express, mail could arrive in California in as few as 9 days rather than the weeks it took to arrive when sent by horse carriage.Pony Express Rider by Frank E. WebnerHow did it work?The Pony Express used a planned out route with a number of stations along the way. Riders would carry the mail from station to station, switching to fresh horses at each station. Every hundred or so miles the rider would be replaced. This allowed the mail to be constantly moving at a good speed.The RouteThe route used by the Pony Express went from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. There were 184 stations along the 1,900 mile route. It followed the Oregon Trail for a ways, and then used the Mormon Trail to Salt Lake City. The trail traveled over the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and finally to California.The RidersThe riders of the Pony Express made $100 a month, which was pretty good money for the time. They worked hard, riding in bad weather, rough terrain, and in dangerous situations. In order to keep the weight down that the horses had to carry, the riders had to weigh less than 125 pounds. A lot of the riders were young, tough, skinny, teenagers who were willing to face the dangers of the ride for the excitement of the job and the money they could earn.When did the Pony Express run?The Pony Express was a business. Despite its place in American history, it didn't stay open very long. It opened on April 3, 1860 and closed on October 24, 1861. At the height of its business it had over 400 horses and around 180 riders.Why did it end?The Pony Express was forced to close after the opening of the transcontinental telegraph. Telegraphs could be sent much faster and with less expense. In the end, the business venture that was the Pony Express lost a lot of money and became outdated fairly quickly.Pony Express PosterInteresting Facts about the Pony ExpressThe first riders left from Sacramento and St. Joseph on April 3, 1860. They each arrived around 10 days later.In the winter, the trip generally took around two days longer than in the summer.The most famous of the Pony Express riders was Buffalo Bill who earned fame putting on Wild West shows.The initial cost to send a ½ ounce letter was $5. That was a lot of money back in 1860. Prices were lowered to $1 for a ½ ounce letter by the end of the Pony Express.Only one rider and one shipment of mail were lost during the running of the Pony Express.Riders would travel 75 to 100 miles a day, switching horses every 10 to 12 miles.The fastest delivery in the history of the Pony Express was seven days and seventeen hours. It was to deliver President Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address.The Pony Express was started by William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors. What did the Pony Express deliver? Fresh fruit Horses Mail Telegraphs Around how long was the route covered by the Pony Express? 50 miles 100 miles 900 miles 1900 miles 2600 miles The easternmost point of the Pony Express was in what state? New York Missouri North Carolina Maine What city in California did the Pony Express route end at? Los Angeles San Diego San Francisco Sacramento True or False: Hundreds of Pony Express riders were killed while trying to deliver the mail. True False What year did the Pony Express begin? 1860 1876 1899 1913 What new invention caused the Pony Express to become obsolete? Email Automobile Airplane Telegraph Around how long did it take for mail to travel along the entire Pony Express route? 2 days 4 days 9 days 3 weeks How much was a Pony Express rider paid per month? $25 $100 $500 $1,000 True or False: Pony Express riders were typically skinny teenagers who weighed less than 125 pounds. True False Westward Expansion:First Transcontinental RailroadThe First Transcontinental Railroad stretched from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast. No longer would people travel in long wagon trains that took months to reach California. They could now travel faster, safer, and cheaper by train. In addition to people, things like mail, supplies, and trade goods could now be shipped across the country in just a few days. The railroad was built between 1863 and 1869.Background The first talk of a transcontinental railroad started around 1830. One of the first promoters of the railroad was a merchant named Asa Whitney. Asa tried hard for many years to get Congress to pass an act to build the railroad, but failed. However, in the 1860s Theodore Judah began to lobby for a railroad. He surveyed the Sierra Nevada Mountains and found a pass where the railroad could be built.The Route There were two main routes along which people wanted the first railroad to be built.+ One route was called the "central route". It followed much the same route as the Oregon Trail. It would begin in Omaha, Nebraska and end up in Sacramento, California.+ The other route was the "southern route". This route would stretch across Texas, New Mexico, and end up in Los Angeles, California.The central route was eventually chosen by Congress.Route of the First Transcontinental Railroad by UnknownPacific Railroad ActIn 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law. The act said that there were two main railroad lines. The Central Pacific Railroad would come from California and the Union Pacific Railroad would come from the Midwest. The two railroads would meet somewhere in the middle.The act gave the railroad companies land where they could build the railroad. It also paid them for each mile that they built. They were paid more money for miles of track built in the mountains versus miles of track built on the flat plains.Building the Railroad Across the Continent by Joseph Becker Building the railroad was tough, hard work. Weather conditions were especially tough in the mountains during the winter. A lot of times the only way to travel over the mountains was to go through the mountains by blasting a tunnel. The Central Pacific Railroad had to blast a number of tunnels through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The longest tunnel built was 1659 feet long. It took a long time to build the tunnels. They were able to blast around one foot per day on average.While the Central Pacific Railroad had to deal with mountains and snow, the Union Pacific Railroad was challenged by Native Americans raids. As the Native Americans came to realize the threat to their way of life that the "Iron Horse" was going to bring, they began to raid the railroad work sites. Also, a lot of the land that was "granted" to the railroad by the government was actually Native American land.The Workers The majority of the workers on the Union Pacific Railroad were Irish laborers, many who had served in both the Union and the Confederate armies. In Utah, a lot of the track was built by Mormon workers. Most of the Central Pacific Railroad was built by Chinese immigrants.The Golden Spike The two railroads finally met at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869. Leland Stanford, governor of California and president of the Central Pacific Railroad, drove in the last spike. This final spike was called the "Golden Spike" or "The Final Spike". You can see it today at Stanford University in California.Driving the Golden Spike on 10th May, 1869 by American SchoolInteresting Facts about the First Transcontinental Railroad The Pony Express traveled a similar route to the central route and helped to prove that the route was passable in winter.The transcontinental railroad was also called the Pacific Railroad and the Overland Route.The total length of the First Transcontinental Railroad was 1,776 miles.The Central Pacific Railroad was controlled by four men called the "Big Four". They were Leland Stanford, Collis P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker.It was later, in November of 1869, when the Central Pacific connected San Francisco to Sacramento. During which decade was the First Transcontinental Railroad constructed? 1790s 1820s 1860s 1910s 1940s Which route did Congress select for the First Transcontinental Railroad? Southern route Northern route Westward route Middle route Central route Which president signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law? Abraham Lincoln James Polk John Tyler Thomas Jefferson What railroad company started in California and worked their way east? California Railroad Central Pacific Railroad West Coast Railroad Union Pacific Railroad How were the railroad companies paid? By the hour By the year By the day By the mile Most of the workers for the Union Pacific Railroad came from what country? Ireland Italy Russia They were Native Americans True or False: Native Americans were happy to have the railroad running through their land. True False In what state did the two railroads finally meet? California Nevada Utah Arizona Colorado Around how long was the First Transcontinental Railroad? 299 miles 507 miles 914 miles 1776 miles 3045 miles Which of the following was NOT a state that the railroad passed through? Utah Nebraska California Nevada Oregon