Transcontinental Railroad

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/
4. Use this site to visit the gallery and find the four pictures that match the captions below. Save them and place them in the correct square.


A Chinese tea carrier outside the east portal of tunnel #8 through the Sierras.	Central Pacific workers laying rail at the end of track, Humboldt Plains, Nevada.	Mormon workers digging the Union Pacific's Deep Cut #1 through Weber Canyon, Utah, autumn, 1868.	Telegraph corps at work, Weber Canyon, Utah.

5. Visit this site: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/ and use the interactive map to learn about "The Race to Utah." Write the years under each section to show when it was completed.

6. Using the interactive map at the following site: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/ and the U.S. Rail Lines map located in your packet, find and label the following: (Promontory Summit has been done for you.)

Sacramento	Roseville	Laramie	Cheyenne	Sidney	Julesburg
North Platte	Plum Creek	Columbus	Benton	Newcastle	Colfax
Alta	Cisco	Truckee	Reno	Wadsworth	Promontory Summit
Ogden	Devil’s Gate	Bear River City	Piedmont	Omaha	Wyoming
Nevada	Nebraska	Sierra Nevada Mountains

7. Complete the Transcontinental Math problems below and place the answers in the box below each problem.

1. On May 10, 1869, the Union Pacific Railroad met at Promontory Summit, Utah. Construction had begun in 1863. How long did it take to build this railroad?	2. Buffalo Bill Cody (who worked for the Union Pacific Southern Division) boasted that he had killed 4,280 buffalo in 18 months. How many would he have had to have average per month?

3. Promontory Summit was 690 rail miles from Sacramento, California, and 1,086 miles from Omaha, Nebraska. How many total miles did the new transcontinental railroad cover?	4. The Homestead Act of 1862 gave 160 acres of government land to any citizen who would build a shelter and improve the land. If this amount is one-fourth of a section, and a section is one square mile, how many acres are in a square mile?

5. The Railroad Act of 1862 gave the railroad a land grant of 6,400 acres per mile. At that rate, how many acres would the Central Pacific get for laying their 690 miles of track?	6. Each mile of track was made of 400 rails. Each rail weighted 500 pounds. How may pounds of rails were in each mile?

7. It took 10 spikes to secure each rail and three hammer strokes to set each spike. For a mile of track (400 rails), how many hammer strokes would be required?	8. The Railroad Act of 1862 also paid the railroads $16,000 for each flat mile. The 100^th meridian was 247 flat miles west of Omaha. At that rate, how much did the Union Pacific get?

9. The Crocker Construction Company charged the Central Pacific Railroad $90,000,000 for labor and materials that cost $32,200,000. What was their profit?	10. The government guaranteed the companies $48,000 per mountainous mile of roadbed. The Central Pacific told the U.S. that mountains started seven miles from Sacramento and lasted until Reno, 154 miles away. How much was the total charge, assuming they got $16,000 per mile for the first seven miles?

8. Relations between the Chinese and the Irish crewmembers were not very friendly or peaceful. They were different culturally and ethnically, yet they shared some things in common. Read the statements below and, using the Inspirations Program, construct a Venn diagram, inserting each statement under the proper heading ( Chinese, Irish or Both ). After you have done this, save it in your Word document.

1. Californians called the "celestials."

2. A newspaper reported that ten tons of their bones were sent home for burial.

3. Bosses pushed them to work hard.

4. Eight of these men lifted and laid 3,520 rails in one day.

5. They earned at least $40 per month and the company paid for their food and housing.

6. They worked long hours.

7. Strong workers, many had the reputation for drinking and brawling.

8. Many were recruited from Canton.

9. They worked under hazardous conditions.

10. They enjoyed hot baths, soaping, and rinsing before the evening meal.

11. They were prejudiced against "un-Christian" foods.

12. They ate meat, beans, and potatoes.

13. They worked with explosives.

14. They faced problems in their homeland.

Page created by Kay Howley, Donna Macdonald and Dayle Wright
Orchard School faculty members.

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