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Primary
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum

Cprr History Museum: Abstract From the 1862 Annual Report

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is the explanation of how the land grants given to the railroads through the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 worked in the text from the General Land Office to the Department of the Interior.
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Primary
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum

Cprr History Museum: Pacific Railroad Acts

For Students 9th - 10th
See a copy of the document that enacted legislation for the development of a transcontinental railroad. Included is the text of the document also.
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Binding the Nation by Rail

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about the explosive growth of railroad track across the United States after the Civil War. Find out about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, the men who made fortunes from the railroads, and the first American regulatory...
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Handout
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum

Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum: Building of the Iron Road

For Students 9th - 10th
From an article by B.P. Avery printed in the May, 1869, issue of "Overland Monthly" is this description of the building of the transcontinental railroad including information about the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific...
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Article
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Land Departments and Immigration

For Students 9th - 10th
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes what the Land Department and the Bureau of Immigration did in order to attract new immigrants to settle along the railroad line. The...
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Handout
Other

New Mexico History Museum: The Railroad Wars

For Students 9th - 10th
Building railroads was never easy, but when confronted with hired gunslingers, the task was harder still. Read about how the Santa Fe Railroad secured the land it needed to build its railroad.