Westward Expansion and the Construction of the Railroad, by Kyle Nero

By the mid 19th century, American citizens were beginning to feel a bit crowded in the Eastern coast of the country.  Some had already begun to explore the far west of the country, but the trek was far too dangerous and risky for most to find it appealing.  However, in 1848, John Sutter made a discovery in the Central Valley of California that would forever change the United States: gold.  Once word got out, tens of thousands rushed west hoping to strike it rich.  As this was before the Panama Canal had been dug out, some pioneers attempted to embark on a boat and either travel north above Canada, or south below the tip of Southern America.  Most, however, took their entire families, jumped into wagons, and began their four month journey.  Many died over this period, due to a lack of food, a lack of water, freezing, and many other circumstances.  It was obvious that there had to be a better way to travel from coast to coast.  This is where the Transcontinental Railroad came in.  In 1863, construction on the railroad began.  Most of the work was done by immigrants - many Irish came to America due to the Irish Potato Famine, and they were looked down on in the East.  So, working on the railroad was especially appealing to the Irish.  There were also many Chinese immigrants and Mexican immigrants who came seeking work.  On May 10, 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was finally completed.  To celebrate this feat which allowed us to transverse our large nation in 9 days, rather than 4 months, a golden spike was driven into the railroad at Promontory, Utah.