059 - Connecting The Coasts: The Building Of The Transcontinental Railroad

About this episode: 

It was early 1863 and in the very midst of a civil war that challenged the continued existence of the Union, an event that looked to its future.   Indeed, a daunting enterprise – the breaking of ground for the Central Pacific Railroad.  This is the story of a great undertaking.  This is the story of the building of the transcontinental railroad.

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Some Characters Mentioned In This Episode:

Grenville M. Dodge

Theodore D. Judah

Leland Stanford

Thomas "Doc" Durant

Lewis Clement

Charles Crocker

 

For Further Reading:

Nothing Like it in the World: The Men that Built the Transcontinental Railroad by Stephen E. Ambrose

 

Get The Guide:

Want to learn more about the Civil War? A great place to start is Fred's guide, The Civil War: A History of the War between the States from Workman Publishing. The guide is in its 9th printing.

 

Producer: Dan Irving

 

Thank you to our sponsor Bob Graesser, Raleigh Civil War Round Table's editor of The Knapsack newsletter and the Round Table's webmaster at http://www.raleighcwrt.org