Union Pacific Railroad

United States &gt;  Migration  &gt;  Railroads  &gt;  Union Pacific Railroad

In 1869 the Union Pacific Railroad out of Omaha, Nebrask], and the [[Central Pacific Railroad|Central Pacific Railroad out of Sacramento, [[California Genealogy|Californi] linked tracks in the Golden Spik ceremony at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promontory_Summit Promontory Summi, [[Utah Genealogy|Utah] to form the first transcontinental railroad servic in the [[United States Genealogy|United State. Settlers were attracted to communities near railroads because they provided access to markets. Railroads encouraged settlement along their routes to help increase the need for their service. If an ancestor settled near a railroad, you may be able to trace their place of origin back to another place along the tracks.

Historical Background
In order to bind the nation together from [[California Genealogy|Californi] to the eastern states visionaries proposed a railroad between the west and east coasts of the [[United States Genealogy|United State]. During the [[United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865|Civil Wa] Congress authorized the building of this railroad. Congress offered [[Grants to Land Companies and Railroads#Railroads|land grant] along the tracks in a [[Grants to Land Companies and Railroads#Railroads|checkerboard patter] as an incentive to the builders. The company that could build the most track would receive the most land.

Starting in 1865 in Omah] and [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebrask], the Union Pacific Railroad laid their first tracks. They slowly started their westward race toward the oncoming [[Central Pacific Railroad|Central Pacific Railroad by building only 40 miles after spending $500,000. As the pace quickened Irish immigrants and soldiers looking for work at the end of the [[United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865|Civil Wa] increased the size of the labor force. The Union Pacific faced a shortage of timber for railroad tie on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_plains Great Plain of [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebrask, and had to defend themselves against hostile Indian attacks, and harsh weather. Eventually they would average a mile of new track a day. In [[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyomin] they were challenged by deep ravines, and the Weber Rive in [[Utah Genealogy|Utah] was crossed 31 times. By the end of 1865 the end of the track had only reached Fremont, [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebrask]. In late 1866 they reached North Platte, in 1867 Cheyenne, [[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyomin], in late 1868 track reached Evanston, Wyoming. On 10 May 1869 the Union Pacific joined track with the Central Pacific at Promontory Summi, [[Utah Genealogy|Utah] north of the Great Salt Lak to form the first [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcontinental_railroad transcontinental railroad in the [[United States Genealogy|United State]. In 1872 a bridge was completed across the Missouri Rive to Council Bluffs, [[Iowa Genealogy|Iow. Later in 1904 the Lucin Cutoff was completed across the Salt Lak to shorten the route to Ogden, [[Utah Genealogy|Utah] and avoid steep mountain grades and curves. In 1925 the Union Pacific Railroad opened another transcontinental branch from Granger, Wyoming via Boise, [[Idaho Genealogy|Idah] to Portland, [[Oregon Genealogy|Orego]. Through mergers and acquisitions many other lines have been opened to make it one of America's premier railroads.

Route
Some of the towns, with their modern county names, built along the original transcontinental Union Pacific Railroad from east to west were:

[[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebrask]


 * [[Omaha Links|Omah] (earlier known as Elkhorn), [[Douglas County, Nebraska Genealogy|Douglas Count]
 * Grand Island, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_County,_Nebraska Hall Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kearney,_Nebraska Kearne, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_County,_Nebraska Buffalo Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Platte,_Nebraska North Platt, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_County,_Nebraska Lincoln Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogallala,_Nebraska Ogallal, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_County,_Nebraska Keith Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney,_Nebraska Sidne, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne_County,_Nebraska Cheyenne Count

[[Colorado Genealogy|Colorad]


 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julesburg,_Colorado Julesbur, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedgwick_County,_Colorado Sedgwick Count
 * Feeder line to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver Denve, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_County,_Colorado Denver Count

[[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyomin]


 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsdale,_Wyoming Hillsdal, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laramie_County,_Wyoming Laramie Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Bluffs,_Wyoming Pine Bluffs (Part of Cheyenne), Laramie Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne,_Wyoming Cheyenn, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laramie_County,_Wyoming Laramie Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne,_Wyoming Larami, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany_County,_Wyoming Albany Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawlins,_Wyoming Rawlin, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crook_County,_Wyoming Crook Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River,_Wyoming Green Rive, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetwater_County,_Wyoming Sweetwater Count

Utah


 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogden,_Utah Ogde, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weber_County,_Utah Weber Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_City,_Utah Brigham Cit, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Elder_County,_Utah Box Elder Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinne,_Utah Corinn, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Elder_County,_Utah Box Elder Count
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promontory,_Utah Promontory Summi, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Elder_County,_Utah Box Elder Count

Ogden connected the Central Pacific tracks to


 * Sacramento, Sacramento County, California

Settlers and Records
Settlers using the Union Pacific Railroad were likely to be from Eastern or Midwestern states along the tracks of the Union Pacific and connectors such as Illinoi], [[Iowa Genealogy|Iow], [[Missouri Genealogy|Missour], [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebrask], [[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyoming, and Utah. Most would have settled in Utah, [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevad], or northern [[California Genealogy|Californi].

There are no known Union Pacific Railroad passenger list records.

Websites

 * Wikipedia - Union Pacific Railroad
 * Union Pacific - including history, photos, financing, construction, post-construction, and mergers
 * American Western History Musuems - Union Pacific Railroad