Union Pacific Railroad Essay

The construction of railroads played a huge role in the development of Colorado. In the mid-1800s, the Union Pacific Railroad was set to be the first transcontinental railway. The Colorado Central and the Denver Pacific were in competition with one another to be the first to connect to the Union Pacific. As the tracks were laid, and the rail companies clashed, the number of white settlers in the region was growing exponentially. Increasing permanent villages triggered conflict between native tribes and settlers. The Native Americans would be drove from the land one way or another, but the installment of the railroads only hastened the inevitable.
In the early years of Colorado’s development, early locals gave little thought to a railroad passing

So, despite the UP’s decision, they decided to develop their own railroad companies. Out of Golden came the Colorado Central; out of Denver- the Denver Pacific. Each of these railways had every intention to be the first to reach and connect with the Union Pacific. Golden wanted to ensure their position over Denver. They wanted to be at the center of the mining traffic, hoping this would earn them the capital position. Denver knew they needed a railroad, as well. At the time, the Kansas Pacific was a line being built from Kansas to Denver, but the businessmen of Denver were displeased with the slow speed that the line was being built. Thus, they began their own company to lay tracks through their city. They believed they needed to connect to the Union Pacific to ascertain the city’s economic growth. Growth was exactly what these two lines were creating. The largest barrier for both companies was the lack of funding. The Denver Pacific joined forces with the Kansas Pacific, in doing so, acquiring a portion of its land grant. This allowed the DP to complete the line by June of 1870. In September of that same year, the Union Pacific helped the Colorado Central to create a line between Golden and Denver. Both cities now had a connection to the transcontinental

They believed the land was theirs to use as they saw fit. The Union Pacific's progress through the upper plains put construction workers in the path of the Plains Indians. Under the command of General Grenville Dodge, the U.S. army battled warriors from many Indian tribes, including the Sioux, Arapahoe, and Cheyenne in areas of Wyoming, Nebraska, as well as Colorado. The Sand Creek Massacre in 1864, in which U.S. Army forces raided and killed 150 Cheyenne Indian villagers, and the Cheyenne retribution at Julesburg, Colorado, a few weeks later were commonplace along the route of the railroad. (Cultural Impact of Building the Transcontnental Railroad