The Elusive Eden Chapter Fourteen
The Transcontinental Railroad

1. What were the transportation problems of Gold Rush California? How were these exasperated by California’s natural boundaries
2. How was William Gwin connected to early Californian transcontinental schemes?
3. Senator What was the Railroad Convention of 1853?
4. What was the importance of the Sacramento Valley Railroad and the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad?
5. Who was Theodore Judah? Why was he called “Crazy?”
6. What was the Pacific Railroad Convention of 1859? Who was sent as a representative to Washington?
7. What did the conflict between North and South have to do with the transcontinental railroad?
8. What did the Comstock Load have to do with the transcontinental railroad?
9. What was the importance of Daniel Strong and Dutch Flat?
10. Who were the original founders of the Central Pacific?
11. What political affiliation did the “Big Four” have and why was this an unforeseen boon?
12. What was the “Big Four’s” first important contribution to the Central Pacific?
13. What was the Gadsden Purchase?
14. What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act have to do with the transcontinental railroad?
15. Why was the Central Pacific under attack almost immediately after being incorporated?
16. What errors did Theodore Judah make?
17. What was the result of the Central Pacific’s 1861 stock subscriptions?
18. Which communities and companies were opposed to the Central Pacific and why?
19. Who engineer the Central Pacific success in the Pacific Railway Act of 1862? How was this done?
20. What company was actually allowed to build the most westerly part of the transcontinental railroad?
21. What railroad would link east to west with the Central Pacific?
22. How were railroads “paid” to build the transcontinental railroad by the government?
23. Why did federal government get to hold the first mortgage?
24. When was the Central Pacific subsidized at $16,000, $32,000, or $48,000 per mile?
25. How much per mile did it cost to build the Central Pacific’s link of the transcontinental railroad?
26. What was Leland Stanford’s great contribution to the Central Pacific?
27. What was Crocker and Company and the Contract and Finance Company?
28. What was Huntington’s great contribution to the Central Pacific?
29. Why did Judah have a conflict with the “Big Four?” Why did he travel to Washington in 1863? What was his fate?
30. How did the Pacific Railway Act of 1864 change the fortunes of the Central Pacific Railroad?
31. How many sections did the Central Pacific receive per mile of track completed?
32. How did Crocker alleviate the labor problem?
33. By May of 1868 how many miles of track had been built east of Sacramento?
34. What was Promontory Point and why was it selected?
35. On what day did Leland Stanford swing a hammer and miss the golden spike?
36. After the completion of the transcontinental railroad what did the future hold for the “Big Four” in California?
37. Why was the Southern Pacific Company formed?