Curated OER
The Railroad Booms!
Learners discover how the railroads contributed to the interdependence between farms and towns. Using the railroads, they describe the effect of them on western settlement and the relationship between their location and the availability...
Curated OER
Boats, Trains, and Wagons
Students read map symbols for transportation, specifically canals, railroads, and highways.
Curated OER
Railroads in Antebellum Augusta and Franklin Counties
Eleventh graders are divided up into groups and work on separate worksheets. They reassemble as a class and discuss the different articles and how the railroads affected people's lives.
Curated OER
Anti-Railroad Propaganda Poster -- The Growth of Regionalism, 1800 - 1860
Young scholars research the anti-railroad movement of the mid-19th century. They review propaganda from the period and consider various points of view. They develop role-plays and write essays using their research.
Curated OER
Railroads in Virginia
Young scholars decscribe the importance of railroads, new industries, and the growth of cities to Virginia's economic development. They locate on a map the small towns and cities that grew because of the railroads and create a flow chart...
Curated OER
U.S. History: Settlement on the Plains
Eleventh graders examine the settlement and life on the western plains. Applying role-playing techniques, they discover the importance of railroads in the settlement of the west while also evaluating the daily lives of the homesteaders....
Curated OER
Traveling the Transcontinental from Yesterday to Today
High schoolers examine the impact of the train on the physical landscape and spatial organization of America. They read and analyze various poems, analyze maps, and develop a list of the positive and negative changes brought by the...
Curated OER
Irish-Americans: Work and Song
Students research the experience of Irish immigrants who helped build the railroad systems of the United States. They analyze primary source documents, take notes, and create an artistic piece.
Curated OER
Laurier House National Historic Site of Canada Immigration From 1896 (laurier) To 1947 (king)
Pupils study the immigration patterns in Canada from 1896 to 1947. They examine how the railroads played a part in the immigration process.
Curated OER
Siege and Battle of Corinth
Students complete a variety of activities that go along with the study of and possible fieldtrip to thesite of the Siege and Battle of Corinth in Mississippi. They examine the role transportation routes played in the formation of their...
Curated OER
Transformation of Texas Transportation
Students research how the growth of railroads led to an industrial revolution in Texas and read a newspaper article debating which railroad company should come to Travis County. They write their own article and debate the railroad question.
Curated OER
Prairie Schooner and Iron Horse
Students identify and explain major symbols on core map, read a railroad timetable, and evaluate the impact of railroads on the transportation in the West.
Curated OER
People, Goods, and Railroads
Students compare population distribution and density railroad network in 1878, identify areas of expanding population density, and evaluate geographical and economic factors that influenced railroad expansion in late 19th century United...
Curated OER
READIN', WRITIN' AN' AMERICAN MEMORY
Students research World Series baseball teams and use the information to play a game. They also use railroad maps to determine how teams traveled from one game to another.
Curated OER
The Impact of the Railroad on Western Settlement
Eleventh graders utilize a painting to explore the effects of the railroads on the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They discover how art can reflect the mood and spirit of the time in which they are created.
Curated OER
Planning a Railroad
Students use a topographical map to plan a route from Doknner Summit to Truckee, then compare it to the route selected by Theodore Judah.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Robber Barons and Captains of Industry
A very thorough lesson plan from EDSITEment that explores the role of the robber barons in American industry in the 19th century. It explores the question of whether the robber barons were harmful or "Captains of Industry." You'll find...
University of Alberta
Atlas of Alberta Railways: The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Presented by the University of Alberta, this resource contains information on the founding and development of The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The site also provides primary source resources in the the form of photographs, excerpts,...
University of Alberta
University of Alberta: The Edmonton and Slave Lake Railway
This brief history recounts the construction in 1899 of the the Edmonton and Slave Lake Railway by a group of businessmen with an interest in exploiting the mineral deposits in the Athabasca Landing and Lesser Slave Lake area.
University of Alberta
University of Alberta: The Edmonton, Yukon and Pacific Railway
The Edmonton, Yukon and Pacific Railway was incorporated in 1896 to provide a rail connection between two political and economic rivals, Strathcona in the south and Edmonton in the north. This is a brief history of its evolution.
University of Alberta
University of Alberta: The Canadian Northern Railway Maps
This collection of maps details the railway system in Western Canada in 1916. Viewer can zoom in on the maps for added detail.
University of Alberta
University of Alberta: The Canadian Northern Railway
This is a brief history of of the development the Canadian Northern Railway that was built in western Canada, and completed in 1915. The site also provides primary source resources in the the form of photographs, excerpts, figures and maps.
University of Alberta
University of Alberta: The Coal Branch
The early railways depended on coal to fire their locomotives. Vast deposits of coal were located along the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies. One of the richest mining areas on the main line of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway,...
University of Alberta
University of Alberta: The Crow's Nest Line
This is a history of the construction and significance of a railway through the Crowsnest Pass that connected a part of British Columbia that was cut off from the rest of Canada. Included are maps, photographs and primary source documents.