Curated OER
Bureau of Land Management: Steel Rails and Iron Horses
Read about the building of the first transcontinental railroad and other railroads that came after. Find out how the checkerboard land ownership system affected the railroads. Includes lots of detailed lesson activities as well as a poster.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Hazardous Business: The Railroads Come to Texas: Railroad Regulation
Read about regulations that kept the early Texas railroad system safe, and check out an "Inspection report for the Houston & Great Northern, 1871." Also, learn how the Civil War affected the railroad and how it was rebuilt following...
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.
PBS
Pbs the West: Walking Pieces of Gold
A look at the role railroads played in the near-extermination of the American bison.
Other
Texas Bird's Eye Views: Riding the Rails Across Texas
For this lesson, students will discover the benefits and drawbacks of railroads and understand the railroad's importance to Texas cities and American life.
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
Minnesota Historical Society: James J. Hill House: James J. Hill
A biography of railroad magnate, James J. Hill. Learn about the life and legacy of this railroad executive who was a pivotal force in the transformation of the Northwest, earning the name "The Empire Builder."
Country Studies US
Countyr Studies: United States History: The Last Frontier
This site describes the settlement of the West happened quickly with the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the push for the Transcontinental Railroad. With the explosion of the mining and ranching industries, the West was all but...
Other
Psmre: The Northern Pacific Railway
This site from the Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers provides information about the history of the Northern Pacific Railway. The route follows the path Lewis and Clark took in 1804. Mentions cost, manpower, and other railroad companies.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Hazardous Business: Line and Lands of the Texas & Pacific Railway, 1873
Here's a map showing the Texas & Pacific Railway. Click on link to get larger version which shows the route across Texas as well as an inset which shows how the railway connected to other railroads in the U.S.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum: Linking the Oceans
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...
Other
Great Northern Historical Society: Great Northern History
Read about the Great Northern Railway, a rail line conceived of and built by James J. Hill. Find out how Hill built his rail business by encouraging settlement along the rail line.