The construction of extensive railways, however, and particularly the consolidation of small, experimental lines into large systems, dates from the days of the discovery of gold in California

The railroad originally was as completely dissociated from steam propulsion as was the ship

The construction of extensive railways, however, and particularly the consolidation of small, experimental lines into large systems, dates from the days of the discovery of gold in California

In 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

In the decade before the Civil War various north and south lines of railway were projected and some of these were assisted by grants of land from the Federal Government

People began to understand that with the acquisition of California the nation had obtained practically half a continent, of which the future possibilities were almost unlimited, so far as the development of natural resources and the genera production of wealth were concerned.

Horses and mules, and even sail cars, made more rapid progress than did the earliest locomotive.