Acts, Bills, and Laws
Pacific Railroads Act
1862
Congress in 1862 passed the Pacific Railroads Act, which set the framework for the construction of a central transcontinental route. A companion piece of legislation was passed two years later, which created the following format:
- The Union Pacific Railroad was to begin construction in Omaha and build westward
- The Central Pacific Railroad was to commence operations in Sacramento and build eastward
- A right of way 200 feet wide was granted to the builders by the government
- The builders were to be rewarded with sections of land, distributed in a checkerboard fashion, along the right of way for each mile completed
- The government provided low interest loans to assist with construction.
The large land grants extended to the railroads were intended to be sold to settlers, which provided a means to pay for construction and repay the loans. It was unusual, to say the least, to undertake a massive internal improvement project in the middle of a civil war. The fact that this was done indicated how strongly Lincoln and the Congress felt about linking the West Coast to the East.
Off-site search results for "Pacific Railroads Act"... Pacific Railroad Act - Transcontiental Railroad and Land Grants
PACIFIC RAILROAD ACTS.[Pacific Railroad Act: 1862 , 1863 , 1864 , 1865 , 1866 , 1868 , 1869 , 1870 , 1871 , 1873 , 1874 .] ACT OF JULY 1, 1862.[12 Statutes at Large, 489.] Summary Full Text 1856 Draft Courtesy National ArcPACIFIC RAILROAD ACTS.[Pacific Railroad Act: 1862 , 1863 , 1864 , 1865 , 1866 , 1868 , 1869 , 1870 , 1871 , 1873 , 1874 .] ACT OF JULY 1, 1862.[12 Statutes at Large, 489.] Summary Full Text 1856 Draft Courtesy National ArchPacific Railroad Act: 1862 , 1863 , 1864 , 1865 , 1866 , 1868 , 1869 , 1870 , 1871 , 1873 , 1874 .] ACT OF JULY 1, 1862.[12 Statutes at Large, 489.] Summary Full Text 1856 Draft Courtesy National Archives and Records ...
http://www.cprr.org/Museum/Pacific_Railroad_Acts.html
Building the Pacific Railroad
... Engineer Union Pacific Railroad Plans and discussion for a transcontinental railroad linking California to the east date prior to 1853. Surveying for possible routes by the military, as discussed with regard to G. K. Warren, began at the ...
http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/sherman2.html
The Pacific Railroad - Unopen
... railroad are hidden from view by dark sheds—I could not help wondering why the railroad officials do not take off or hinge a couple of boards along these interminable galleries, and give the passengers a view of the finest scenery on the route.
http://www.cprr.org/Museum/Pacific%20Railroad%20-%20Unopen.html
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