Union Pacific Railroad

The original company was formed in 1862 after congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862. It provided for the construction of railroads from the Missouri River to the Pacific as a way to preserve the Union and expand west. The line originally started in Council Bluffs to meet the Central Pacific Line which went to San Francisco. It was constructed by mostly Irish immigrants. After  seven years of working, the two lines were joined in Utah in 1869. This hence created the first transcontinental railroad in North America. Under the guidance of its stockholder Thomas Durant, the first rails were laid in Nebraska. Subsequently, UP took over three Mormon-built roads: the Utah Central Rail Road extending south from Ogden, Utah, to Salt Lake City, the Utah Southern Railroad extending south from Salt Lake City into the Utah Valley, and the Utah Northern Railroad extending north from Ogden into Idaho; and built local lines that gave it access to Denver, Oregon, and the Pacific North West. The Union Pacific Railroad was a part of the Credit Mobilier scandal in 1872 that involved bribing congressmen and stockholders. Later that year the Union Pacific opened its first bridge between Omaha and Council Bluffs. In 1880 the Railroad buys the Kansas Pacific and the Denver Pacific, expanding their railroads. In 1888 a narrow gauge track peaks on the Rio Grande and the Denver as they start to program standard gauging on key routes. A few years later in 1893 the railroad filed for bankruptcy, however, in 1897 it reemerged. In 1936, the Union Pacific founded the Sun Valley resort in Idaho and constructed the first ski lift. Then again in 1996 Union Pacific added to their railroads by getting the Southern Pacific Railroad that they were supposed to get almost a century earlier. The headquarters has stayed in Omaha since they began construction of the railroad. It is currently in the Union Pacific Center since 2003. When the Transcontinental Railroad finally finished, it took passengers about one week to get to one side of the country rather than 6 months. The Union Pacific Railroad is still being used today.

"Early American Railroads [ushistory.org]." Ushistory.org. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/25b.asp>.

"UP: Chronological History." Redirecting to Up.com. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/uprr-chr.shtml>.