Tag: westward expansion

Facts About the Transcontinental Railroad On the wide canvas of mid-nineteenth-century America, a monumental dream was beginning to take shape. It was Theodore Judah, an ambitious engineer, who first envisioned a railroad that would span the continent, linking the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. His vision was embraced by Congress and, through the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862, the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad was officially commissioned. Over the next seven…

Conestoga Covered Wagon: A Journey Through History The Conestoga covered wagon played a vital role in American history as the primary means of transporting freight and pioneer families for more than a century (Prentice-Hall, Inc., n.d.). Built specifically for carrying heavy freight over rough terrain, the Conestoga wagon emerged during colonial times and was first constructed in Conestoga, Pennsylvania around 1750 (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011). Capable of carrying up to six…