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Website
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: James Gadsden, 1788 1858

For Students 3rd - 8th
Explore this short profile on the life of James Gadsden, who was instrumental in the purchasing of land from Mexico to build a southern railroad route to the Pacific.
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Article
Other

Gadsden Purchase: Odd Land Deal

For Students 9th - 10th
An informal description of the Gadsden Purchase land deal. Details about the personalities and rationale for this agreement.
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Handout
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Hazardous Business: The Railroads Come to Texas

For Students 9th - 10th
What made transportation in early Texas so difficult? What were the road conditions like? This article talks about land and water transportation in Texas in the years leading up to and after the Civil War. Also, check out photos and...
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eBook
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum

Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum: Linking the Oceans

For Students 9th - 10th
A chapter, "Linking the Oceans" from "The Railroad Builders" by John Moody, published in 1919. Included is information about the building of the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad as well as other transcontinental...