Transcontinental Railroad
By 1869, the United States had built a transcontinental railroad, linking the east and west coasts of the continent. The pamphlet and map below were printed by the Union and Central Pacific Railway Lines to convince people to ride the railroad.
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Source: Union Pacific Railroad Company; Central Pacific Railroad Company. Cover: Union and Central Pacific Railroad line. 1879. David Rumsey Collection. |
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Source: Union Pacific Railroad Company; Central Pacific Railroad Company. New map of the American Overland Route. 1879. David Rumsey Collection. |
Along the top, this map reads, “Avoid the Sickness, Dangers, and Delays of the Panama Route! Secure Speed, Comfort and Safety by taking the Union and Central Pacific Line, which runs the Miller Platform and the Westinghouse Patent Air Brake, which give the Engineer instant control of the Train, and is the most perfect protection against accident ever invented."
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Questions:
1. Look at the map of the world on the pamphlet. Which continents lie in the “West?” How does this differ from traditional depictions of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres? Why might the railroad companies have drawn the map this way?
2. How do the words “comfort,” “safety,” and “protection,” paint a new picture of the American West?
