What were the Effects of the transcontinental railroad?
When the first transcontinental railroad was completed in the spring of 1869, it was celebrated as a marvel of engineering and an invaluable new link between people and places. The outposts of the American West were connected to the population centers back east. People and goods could flow freely and quickly across the continent, as the overland journey had been reduced from one measured in months to one measured in mere days. Many contemporary observers remarked that the country seemed to grow smaller as it became better connected—a very shrewd observation. A smaller number of observers also recognized that the transcontinental railroad linked not only people and places but also moments in history. The construction of the railroad to the Pacific represented, if not a turning point in the country’s history, at least an unmistakable sign that major changes were underway.
