Special Edition celebrating the 150th anniversary of the First Transcontinental Railroad!

In the midst of a country divided by civil war, visionaries came together to accomplish one of the most unifying feats of the 19th century. An engineering triumph rivaling the Apollo mission in terms of scope at its time, would serve to change the makeup of America forever. This feat was the First Transcontinental Railroad, which consisted of over 1,800 miles of track laid out over the span of six years that crossed great plains, roaring rivers, and once insurmountable mountains. 

With construction starting in 1863 and completing in 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad had its true beginnings in the mind of Asa Whitney and Manifest Destiny. Notably, Manifest Destiny was the idea that Americans had the God given right and duty to expand from sea to sea, a concept that motivated many a settler to start their own homestead out West. This ideology brought settlers from the bays of Boston, to the rolling hills of the Midwest, and golden mountains of California. Urged onward by their belief that a higher power called them West, Americans felt the need for novel ways to expand. Especially since standard modes of travel to the West—wagon, sailing around Cape Horn, or crossing the Panamanian isthmus—were time intensive and often proved fatal for many a traveler.

Early efforts to build the Transcontinental Railroad were lead by Asa Whitney, a merchant and visionary of the project in the 1830’s. Whitney produced pamphlets, purchased advertisements in newspapers, and lobbied legislators, but his efforts were unsuccessful due to the rise of the rise of the Civil War, political debates on how to incorporate territories into states, and a feasible route having not been identified.

Several decades later, Theodore Judah, an experienced railway engineer, was instrumental in the early mapping of a route through the Sierra Nevada mountain range for a future railroad project. Judah’s railroad map—eponymously referred to as the Judah Map—turned the Donner Pass from an infamous traipse to the pathway of a new future for the country. A motivated man, Judah continued his efforts to make a Transcontinental Railroad a reality by finding backers for a rail company to complete his plan. The rail company, the Central Pacific Railroad Company, found its backers in four successful California tycoons. These wealthy entrepreneurs were known as the “Big Four” (Leland Stanford, Collis Potter Huntington, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker), who saw the benefit of the Transcontinental Railroad to their financial futures and the country. With their backing, Judah successfully lobbied Congress into sponsoring a continental railway project. Tragically, Judah would not be able to see his plans become reality as he would contract and later die of yellow fever during a fundraising trip in 1863 before ever seeing his plan fully realized.

The legacy of Judah would live on through the successful passage of the Pacific Railway Acts of 1862, in which Congress would sponsor the construction of a Transcontinental Railroad. With this sponsorship came the authorization for government bonds awarded according to the miles of track laid and the terrain it was laid over. For instance, laying track through the mountains would fetch a higher sum than land covered in the plains due to the increased difficulty and cost of construction. The Pacific Railway Acts would also organize the Union Pacific Railroad Company, tasked with completing a rail line from the Midwest to the West. With the creation of two companies tasked with one-half of the Transcontinental Railroad, the linkage of East and West was finally moving from fantasy to form.

The Union Pacific Railroad Company secured large amounts of government bonds to fund the railroad. Their line started in Omaha, Nebraska and funds were utilized to rush the rail line across the Midwest, pushing through anything or anyone in the way—with much of the challenges faced by the Union Pacific being the indigenous people that protested the construction of a rail line through their lands.

The Central Pacific Railroad Company would herald the Western section of the Transcontinental Railroad, starting from Sacramento and expanding to the East through the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Consisting of cavernous valleys, cloud crashing peaks, and 65 miles wide of solid granite, the Sierra Nevada looked to be an unconquerable impediment to the progress of the Transcontinental Railroad. One of the first of many challenges faced was to determine how to ensure that a train could maneuver its way through the mountain, a technological feat unheard of at the time.

The solution came with a hard-hitting blast. Central Pacific Railroad planners decided that the best way to deal with the Sierra Nevada was by going through them. Through combining rudimentary tools with determination and detonation, a path was carved through the Sierras. The process involved packing drilled holes with black powder or nitroglycerine, detonating them, and clearing what remained. Although it proved to be a boon for progress through the mountains, this method was dangerous and primarily the assignment of the Chinese immigrants brought in as laborers for the Transcontinental Railroad. Overall, the tunneling through the Sierra Nevada involved most of the heavy lifting of Central Pacific Railroad Company— taking up about 4 years of their total construction time. After traversing the Sierra Nevada range, the extension of the Central Pacific line focused on dealing with labor needs by recruiting Utah’s Mormon population and increasing the amount of Chinese laborers working on the line.

Promontory Summit, Utah was selected as the destination for the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Commemorating the final linkage would be a grand ceremony bringing together the leadership and labor of both sides to celebrate their accomplishment. Held on May 10, 1869 the Transcontinental Railroad was officially completed with the driving of a golden spike by Big Four member Leland Stanford. Notably, the completion ceremony was also the first time a mass communication was sent to the world—with the word “DONE” sent via telegraph lines affixed to the golden spike. At that moment, the USA had finally linked East and West.

The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad reshaped America’s future economically and culturally. Now linked to the West, goods could be shipped across the country in an economical manner, spreading the wealth of trade to the entirety of the USA. An entrepreneur in California was now able to exchange goods with a farmer in Nebraska, a small representation of the economic opportunities created by the Transcontinental Railroad. Additionally, travel became more accessible with a once six-month journey shrinking to 6-7 days. Americans were now able to travel from one coast to the other without taking the months long wagon journey, risking disaster and disease in order to get around the country. The Transcontinental Railroad established new towns alongside its rail lines and helped support migration to the Midwest—populating territories that would eventually become new states.

Social demographics also saw new and dramatic changes because of the Transcontinental Railroad. Namely, the Central Pacific Railroad Company’s extensive recruitment of Chinese immigrants created a sharp rise in the total Chinese population in the USA. While some of the Chinese workers decided to return to their respective Chinese provinces, many opted to stay in the US and find work elsewhere—building vibrant Chinese communities in their new cities. These communities would face future hardships as the country’s makeup continued to evolve after the Transcontinental Railroad, with many still facing racist treatment from their new neighbors even after contributing to the greatest engineering feat of America at the time.

Native American tribes saw a decline in their lands and livelihoods with the arrival of the Transcontinental Railroad. The construction of the railroad served to disrupt the migration patterns of buffalo, a cornerstone of economy and culture for many tribes, which proved devastating for indigenous populations. Further exacerbation of this migration challenge was caused by settlers overhunting and sponsored buffalo extinction campaigns. Many tribes such as the Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne people attempted to delay or end the expansion of the Union Pacific Railroad through raids on tracks and through legislation, but to no avail. Over the six years of construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, native populations were forced out of their lands by the Transcontinental Railroad and akin to the Sierra Nevada in the West, seen as an obstacle by the Union Pacific instead of the inhabitants of the land. While some tribes were able to integrate and benefit from the Transcontinental Railroad, many found that their land had moved into a future that did not include them.

150 years later the lasting economic and cultural effects and uses of the Transcontinental Railroad are still salient. Today, rail based shipping accounts for about 16% of shipping in the United States—second only after trucks. Beyond shipping, the Transcontinental Railroad still finds its uses carrying passengers across the country with the Amtrak line Zephyr using the Transcontinental Railroad rail line from Sacramento to Central Nevada to this day. The Transcontinental Railroad also united more than the coasts, standardizing time zones across the country. Prior to the Transcontinental Railroad, cities would operate off local times with little concern for clockwork of other regions. These local times made organizing rail schedules difficult, as it became a problem figuring out which city’s 3:00 PM would be the standard. Motivated by the need of accurate scheduling, time zones were established across the country, synchronizing every state to a smooth set of standards. Uniting time, distance, and people, the Transcontinental Railroad stands as a testament to the ingenuity of a few bold actors and the efforts of countless workers.

Chadwyck Moore, Executive Fellow

The Central Pacific Railroad’s proposed alignment map, also known as the Judah Map, is a major highlight of the California State Archives’ collections and is considered the first complete rail map of the Sierras. Created by the Central Pacific Railroad’s Chief Engineer Theodore Judah in 1861, the map is one of the largest in the collection at 66 feet long and 30 inches wide. It depicts segments of the transcontinental railroad’s proposed route through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and represents an important chapter in the history of California and the United States.

The map was created using ink on a type of tracing cloth that was referred to by its manufacturer as “Vellum Cloth.” Considering its age, Theodore Judah’s map is in great condition. It exhibits some minor foxing and a small amount of fraying at the edges, but the material is still strong, and the colors are still bright.

In January of 2019, the Judah Map was transported to Stanford University to be digitized. Due to its size, this was not an easy undertaking. The map is so large that it was not digitized in one continuous image. Instead, two library staff members unrolled smaller sections of the map while a third staff member captured the images in segments, which were digitally stitched together.

Through a partnership with Stanford University, the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, and Google Arts & Culture, an annotated digitized version of the Judah Map is now available in four parts on the Google Arts & Culture platform. 

 The complete physical map is on public display at the California State Railroad Museum through the end of May and coincides with the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.  Since the map is too large for standard sized display cases, the Railroad Museum designed and built a custom case with assistance from the staff at the California State Capitol Museum. The Judah Map is an excellent record of this historic achievement and a great centerpiece for a fascinating exhibit.

Nicholas Jackson, Document Preservation Technician

View the map online

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the completion of America’s first Transcontinental Railroad, the California State Archives has launched its newest online exhibit “ Making the Grade: California and the Transcontinental Railroad ” on Google Arts & Culture. This exhibit features historic documents from the collections of the State Archives including Legislative and Governors papers, and maps relating to the Central Pacific Railroad Company. The Central Pacific Railroad was responsible for the construction of hundreds of miles of track from Sacramento, California to Ogden, Utah between 1863 and 1869.

According to Assembly Bill 280 (Stats. 1863, Chapter 244), the Central Pacific was permitted to plan “the cheapest and best route for the construction and working of said railroad…from the navigable waters of the Sacramento River, at or near the City of Sacramento, over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, to the eastern boundary line of the State of California.” Furthermore, the “company shall file the proper maps and profiles of their railroad…in the office of the Secretary of State.” Several maps of the Central Pacific’s route that were filed with the Secretary of State now reside in the State Archives. Also featured are select photographs from the California State Library.

This online exhibit also formed the basis of a new installation of the same name at the California Museum . Their all-new temporary physical exhibit is open from May 10-September 22, 2019.

Sebastian Nelson, Archivist

View the online exhibit

Nancy Lenoil is retiring after 31 years of service with the California State Archives. She started her career in 1987 as an archivist and in 2006 was appointed State Archivist, becoming the first woman to occupy the position. Nancy has a Master of Arts degree in History with a Graduate Certificate in Archival Administration from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Additionally, Nancy is a certified archivist and member of the Academy of Certified Archivists. She is a member of the Society of American Archivists, the Society of California Archivists, the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, and of CoSA, the Council of State Archivists.

During her tenure at the California State Archives Nancy served as administrator and faculty to the Western Archives Institute. Similarly, Nancy’s active involvement in the archival profession has earned her the following honors: Distinguished Fellow, Society of American Archivists, 2012; Special Recognition Award, Society of California Archivists, 2006; and Division Chief’s Commendation, California Highway Patrol, 2007.

“Nancy Lenoil dedicated herself to preserving the many treasures of California history at the State Archives,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “Her knowledge of the Archives’ vast collections has served researchers, lawmakers, and citizens well for decades. The entire Secretary of State and State Archives family wishes her well in retirement, and seeks to carry on her passion for sharing California’s rich history with the world.”

Nancy has been an esteemed member of the archives for 31 years; she will be greatly missed. Join us in wishing Nancy a happy retirement and success in her future ventures.



California State Archives staff pose with State Archivist Nancy Lenoil (bottom row, third from left) in the Research Room

Thursday, May 30

5:00 pm to 6:30 pm (talk begins at 5:15 pm)

Sponsored by Friends of the California Archives

Mary A. Helmich will be discussing her book, A legacy in Brick and Iron: Sacramento’s Central and Southern Pacific Railroad Shops, co-authored with Kevin V. Bunker, which examines the Central and Southern Pacific Railroad shops at Sacramento. This comprehensive volume includes over 500 hundred photographs, maps, drawings, and two fold out covers that capture the railroad shop complex.

Mary. A Helmich has focused on preserving and interpreting California History for more that forty years. While at the California State Archives for ten years and California State Parks for twenty-six, she researched, planned and developed exhibits, authored interpretive plans, histories, reports and web content. Ms. Helmich also coordinated numerous activities throughout the state to commemorate the 150th anniversaries of California’s War with Mexico, the gold discovery at Coloma, Gold Rush, and Statehood. She has served on several non-profit boards, most recently the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, and continues to consult on history-related projects and programs.

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