Curated OER
All Aboard- Central Pacific Railroad
Second graders explore the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad. In this U.S. history lesson, 2nd graders discuss vocabulary and events that occurred in the 1860s pertaining to the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad....
Curated OER
The Railroad Is Born
Fourth graders examine the proposal of Theodore Judah for the first transcontinental railroad. They analyze a map, write an obituary for Theodore Judah, and create a symbolic poster of Judah's dream for a transcontinental railroad.
State Library of North Carolina
N Cpedia: Railroads
A five-part article on the history of the railroad in North Carolina. Looks at the first rail companies and the start of the North Carolina Railroad, how the Civil War and its aftermath affected rail transportation, the growth of...
State Library of North Carolina
N Cpedia: History of Transportation
An overview of the history of transportation in North Carolina, by water, road, and air, up to the twentieth century.
Other
City of Littleton Government: History of Transportation: Littleton, Colorado
Incredible history of transportation in Littleton, Colorado that explains the many ways in which transportation impacted the culture.
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Canada Science and Technology Museum: Locomotives
Get a glimpse into the history of Canada's railways and explore how the locomotive influenced transportation in the country. See some of the important advancements in locomotive technology in Canada from 1900 to 1960.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Streamliners: James J. Hill, 1836 1916
As part of a larger site about American railroads is this informative biography of James J. Hill, who built a rail line across the Northwest without federal assistance.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: The Interstate Commerce Act
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes The Interstate Commerce Act that passed in 1887. Its purpose was to regulate railroad rates across states, and it mandated the formation of...
Library of Congress
Loc: Rise of Industrial America: Railroads in the Late 19th Century
A compilation of primary source documents addressing building and running the railroad system in the late 19th century.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Advanced Technology
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the debate over the construction of railroads, the competition between canals and railroads, and the companies that were building rail...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Managing Big Business
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes how, as railroads grew in size, they needed to be managed by corporations due to their increasing complexity and the size of their...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Asa Whitney
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes what Asa Whitney did to promote the idea of a transcontinental railroad in the North. His efforts provoked the South into campaigning for...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Conflicting Personal Interests
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the efforts of Jefferson Davis and others to survey lands for the best route for a transcontinental railroad. It also discusses the...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Central Pacific and Union Pacific
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the competition between Union Pacific and Central Pacific to complete the transcontinental railroad. Workmanship was often shoddy and...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: The Meeting at Promontory Point
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the events that occurred as the Union Pacific and Central Pacific both reached the endpoint of the railroad at Promontory Point, California....
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: After the Celebration
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the financial woes of Union Pacific after the railroad was completed, and what the government did to recoup some of its loans. Also...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Railroad Towns
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the railroad towns that were established by the railroad companies along their routes, and had a reputation for shoddiness and disreputable...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Towns Shapes
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the town layouts that were commonplace for railroad towns.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: The Strikes of 1877
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the widespread strikes by railroad workers in 1877.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: The Workingmen's Party
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the emergence of the Workingmen's Party as a political force in St. Louis, its role in the railroad strikes of 1877, and how it may have...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: The Pullman Boycott
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section provides a good description of the events of 1893-1894, including the reasons for the boycott of Pullman cars, the people involved, and how the...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Federal Intervention in Pullman
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes President Grover Cleveland's role in sending federal troops to suppress the Pullman boycott, resulting in increased chaos from the...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Frontier House: The Northern Pacific Railroad and Those Who Built It
The goods and services brought to the frontier by the railroad improved the quality of life. Read about the construction and route of the Northern Pacific Railroad in this companion essay to the PBS series, Frontier House.
Other
California State Railroad Museum: The Transcontinental Railroad
A brief history of the first transcontinental railroad and the vision of Theodore Judah as well as the financing of the "Big Four."