The public conviction that a railroad linking the West and the East was an absolute necessity became so pronounced after the gold discoveries of '49 that Congress passed an act in 1853 providing for a survey of several lines from the Mississippi to the Pacific.
John MoodyWhen the scheme for the construction of a railroad from Baltimore to the waters of the Ohio River first began to take form, the United States had barely emerged from the Revolutionary period
John MoodyAs the contest proceeded, public interest increased and the entire country watched to see which company would win the big government subsidies through the mountains.
John MoodyIn the United States three new methods of transportation made their appearance at almost the same time - the steamboat, the canal boat, and the rail car
John Moody