"Railroad iron is a magician's rod in its power to evoke the sleeping energies of land and water" (Ralph Waldo Emerson). By 1860 it became obvious the railroad was to become the mode of transportation of the industrial America Pacific Northwest . Its completion in 1869 laid the basis of economic exploitation of the Great Plains, stimulated the economic growth of the Union , increasing the settlers’ population and the jobs, while forever changing the life of the Native Americans living here. The railroads linked the newly acquired Pacific territories to the Union .
The railroads brought the West into the world and the world to the West. In the words of the Washington Territory
The changes brought by the railroads happened very fast. They were of course harsh on the native population, disturbing their settlements and their activities, such as the buffalo hunting, and increasing the count of the white people in the area. However, these changes were positive for the new nation of theUnited States
Henretta, James A. and David Brody.America Boston : Bedford / St. Martin ’s, 2010, 471, 497-499.
Orsi, Richard J. The Southern Pacific Railroad and the Development of the American West, 1850-1930.Berkeley , CA : University of California
Schwantes, Carlos A., Ronda, James P. The West the Railroads Made.Seattle , WA : University of Washington
The changes brought by the railroads happened very fast. They were of course harsh on the native population, disturbing their settlements and their activities, such as the buffalo hunting, and increasing the count of the white people in the area. However, these changes were positive for the new nation of the
Henretta, James A. and David Brody.
Orsi, Richard J. The Southern Pacific Railroad and the Development of the American West, 1850-1930.
Schwantes, Carlos A., Ronda, James P. The West the Railroads Made.
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