The Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads were officially joined on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah, with the driving of a golden spike. This historic ceremony marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Spanning the Sierras and the “Great American Desert,” the tracks connected San Francisco to Council Bluffs, Iowa. A Great and Shining Road is the exciting story of a mammoth feat that called forth entrepreneurial daring, financial wizardry, technological innovation, political courage and chicanery, and the heroism of thousands of laborers.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this workmanlike, panoramic account of the construction of the transcontinental railroad and tribute to those who built it across 2000 miles of near impassable mountains and deserts inhabited by hostile Indians, Indiana State University history professor Williams points out not only the railway's importance in linking the East and West coasts, but in opening up unsettled territories and providing easier access to the Far East. The author traces the roadway's history from the 1832 proposal to Congress by visionary Hartwell Carver to its completion on May 10, 1869, seven years after Lincoln signed the act authorizing its construction. He sketches engineers, promoters and investors involved, whose success was at the cost of an appalling number of human lives, notably the railway laborersChinese immigrants, freed slaves and military veterans who worked under harsh and perilous conditions. Work advanced despite the Civil War, bitter sectionalism and rivalry between the Central Pacific and Union Pacific companies, along with uncertain financing by government and corporate bonds. Bribes and profiteering were rife although congressional investigations were inconclusive, especially those involving politicians.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
John Hoyt Williams, a professor of history at Indiana State University, Terre Haute, is the author of Sam Houston.
--This text refers to an alternate
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well-researched, interesting account,
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This review is from: A Great and Shining Road: The Epic Story of the Transcontinental Railroad (Paperback)
This book relates the economic, technological and political significance of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. The subject is complex, yet the author's narrative style, while not lacking in facts, makes this volume the most readable of the serious treatments of the subject. Another excellent recent title on this subject is "The Empire Express." I would not rate the book by Mr. Ambrose in the same class as either of these two, as the work treats the subject, I think, in a comparatively superficial and overly romantic manner.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A detailed account of both the Central Pacific and Union Pacific,
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This review is from: A Great and Shining Road: The Epic Story of the Transcontinental Railroad (Paperback)
I bought this book at the "Golden Spike" National Monument because the National Park Ranger said that this was a solid, balanced history of the effort. What amazed me were all the financial problems that both sides encountered. This compounded the problems with crossing the Sierras, the Indians, politicians, Civil War, and receiving supplies of wood and rails. There is so much more to this story than you were told in school. The author does a good job of painting a picture of daily work being done in different segments/terrain of the railroad. Many historians would have you believe that this was a get rich quick scheme. Even if the original executives thought that, it did not turn out that way. For those enamored by references/documentation, there are 290 pages of text and 40 pages of citations. The photos of the construction at several important areas really helps you picture the actual work.
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