Words: 232
The first trains began to run in America in the sass along the East Coast. By the sass, the nation’s railway networks extended throughout the East, South, ND Midwest, and the idea of building a railroad across the nation to the Pacific gained momentum. The annexation of the California territory following the Mexican-American War, the discovery Of gold in the region in 1848, and statehood for California in 1850 further spurred the interest to unite the country as thousands Of immigrants and miners sought their fortune in the West.
During the sass, Congress sponsored numerous survey parties to investigate possible routes for a transcontinental railroad. No particular route became a clear favorite as political groups were split over whether the route should be a northern or southern one. Theodore Judas, a civil engineer who helped build the first railroad in California, promoted a route along the 41st parallel, running through Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California.
He was so obsessed with the idea to a transcontinental railroad that he became known as “Crazy Judas. ” Although Judo’s plan had merit, detractors noted the formidable obstacles along his proposed route, the most serious twitch was the Sierra Nevada mountain range. A rail line built along this route would require tunneling through granite moccasins and crossing deep ravines, an engineering feat yet to be attempted in the IS.