NameClass Date


Transcontinental Railroad Presentation

Direction Sheet: You will need to first log onto the computer. After you have logged on go to the groupsharefile. Then go to my account at ryanmulcahyand double click. Then open the file and double click on the posting box. After the file opens, double click on the folder “railroad” and double click the railroad.ppt. Once you have opened railroad.pptgo to the tool bar at the top of the screen where it says slide show and click it. Then scroll down to view showand click. Then scroll down to view showand click. Then click back on the posting box at the bottom of the screen, and open the word document, “Railroad Questions.” Now you are now ready to view the presentation on the Transcontinental Railroad. The presentation is split into six (6) different parts. All students will need to view the Information section of the presentation and answer all of the questions from that section. After you have completed the Information section of the presentation you must choose any two of the five remaining sections, and complete the questions from each section. All of your answers will be typed on the word document you opened in the posting box. To answer the questions simply go into the box after each question and answer it. The box will automatically grow to accommodate your answers. When you are ready to save the document you will have to change the drive to your home drive or the “H” drive. Then you will save the document under your name. You can either print out a hard copy and turn it into me or place your answers in my inbox. This assignment is due Friday, September 14th.

Here are the topics you can choose from:

  1. Tunnels
  2. Bridges
  3. Maps
  4. Documents
  5. Workers

General Information (Part I)

1. What were the names of the two companies that were responsible for building the

Transcontinental Railroad?

2. Who were the Big Four? Why do you think they were called the BigFour?

3. Why was building the Transcontinental Railroad such an importantaccomplishment?

4. How many men helped build the railroad?

5. When and where was the railroad completed?

*6. If you had to explain the importance to someone how would you doit? What would you tell them about the railroad? Why? Explain.


Tunnels of the Railroad (Part II)

1. How many tunnels were there on the entire railroad? How many feetof total tunnel were “dug” in building the railroad?

2. What type of rock(s) did many of the tunnels consist of?

3. How many hours a day did workers work? What were they paid onaverage?

4. In order to speed up the blasting the railroads began to use thisexplosive? Why did the railroad use this? Explain.

5. Which of the tunnels was the longest? Which company built it?

*6. After looking at the pictures would you want to build the tunnels ofthe railroad? Why or why not? Explain.

Bridges of the Railroad (Part III)

1. Which bridge was presented in the slides?

2. When was construction started? When did it finish?

3. Was this bridge built during construction of the Transcontinental Railroad or after? Why do you think that was the case? Explain your answer.

*4. After looking at the pictures of the bridge would you have wanted tobe on the crew that built this bridge? Why or why not? Explain youranswer.


Maps of the Railroad (Part IV)

1. Looking at the maps what type of terrain did the railroads have to cross?

2. What types of problems do you think that caused the builders of the railroad?

3. Name at least five cities or towns that the railroad went through?

4. Do you think these were boom towns? Why or why not? Explain your answer.

*5. After looking at the route that the builders chose would you havechosen a different one? Why or why not? Where would you havebuilt the railroad if you could have?


Documents of the Railroad (Part V)

1. Looking at the interior view of the passenger car do you think that was a car for the upper class or a car for everybody? Why? Explain youranswer.

2. What were the posters advertising? Why do you think? Explain your answer.

3. Who were these posters aimed at? Which groups of people? Why? Explain.

*4.If you were asked to create a poster advertising the railroad what would it look like?


Workers on the Railroad (Part VI)

1. How many hours a day did workers have to work? What were they paid on average?

2. What did workers do for recreation?

3. How much track could they lay in a day? Why would this change on a day to day basis? Explain your answer?

4. What were the living conditions like for many of the railroad workers?

*5. What do the pictures of the workers tell you about the lives they had?