Emma+Essay

The Transcontinental Railroad Emma Carson Freeauf 1430 Peachtree Dr. Crozet,VA 22932 (434) - 962 - 5422 Emmabird9@gmail.com Crozet Elementary School Grade Five Jack Jouett Chapter, NSDAR


 * The Transcontinental Railroad

Today we worked from sunrise to sunset. The calluses on my hand are thick as leather and it seems I never have enough to eat even after we have eaten our dinner my belly feels empty, never felt so tired in my life. This 1,756 mile track is being built by Civil War veterans and us. We are the Irish Laborers, and it seems we work the hardest of all. In one day eight of us lay 3,520 rails. The other half is being built by Central Pacific Railroad. The Transcontinental Railroad started when Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act on July 1, 1862. The work of The Transcontinental Railroad began on January 8, 1863 when Governor Leland Stanford ceremoniously broke the ground in Sacramento, California. But it was not until 1866 that the work really started to progress. This was because the Civil War had just ended in 1865. Once the work had really started it got harder and harder. Every day was just about miserable. Working from sunrise to sunset driving spikes and putting in rails. But I do think that when The Golden Spike is driven I will be very pleased with myself that I worked on The Transcontinental Railroad. Even though I am very hungry and tired there seems to be more hope here than back at home. Every day there brought more news of crops gone bad and of families starving. When my sister Theresa's husband lost his crop we all felt so hopeless. When things started to decline at home I needed food, water and good shelter. Hopefully someday the hard work I am doing will pay off. And I will know that this hard work will mean that merchandise and people can move from coast to coast of these great United States with more ease and more speed. When the Golden Spike was put in on May, 10, 1869 there was a huge celebration. A message was sent. Everybody now knew. The Golden Spike sits a Promontory Point, Utah. Even though I am so physically worn out I feel it is a good thing that I have helped with this great effort.

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