The Transcontinental Railroad

1863 – 1869

The Transcontinental Railroad connected the eastern and western U.S., speeding travel, trade, and settlement. Thousands of workers, including many Chinese immigrants, labored under harsh conditions, and the railroad also disrupted Native American lands.

Picture books

Ten Mile Day: And the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad

Exciting story of the final push to finish building the railroad

Coolies

Inspiring story of two brothers overcoming hardships during the building of the railroad

Across America on an Emigrant Train

Story of a real journey across America

Chapter books and novels

The Iron Dragon Never Sleeps

Story of a friendship between a miner girl and a boy working on the railroad

Dear America: The Great Railroad Race

Fictional diary of a girl observing the race to finish the railroad

My Name Is America: The Journal Of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker

Fictional diary of a boy working on the railroad

Building the Transcontinental Railroad: An Interactive Engineering Adventure

Choose-your-own-adventure book with stories focused on the engineering of the railroad

Chinese Immigrants in America: An Interactive History Adventure

Choose-your-own-adventure style stories about Chinese immigration during the 1850s

Non-fiction books

Ain't Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry

Story of the real man behind the railroad legend, with insights into the historian's process

The Golden Spike

The story of a famous photograph capturing the meeting of the the eastern and western branches of the railroad

You Wouldn’t Want to Work on the Railroad!

Humorous guide to the building of the railroad

Google Sites

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