On this day, May 10th 1869, the transcontinental railroad is completed. This railroad line was the very first to connect the two sides of the nation via railroad tracks. Now, goods and people could be transported to the new frontier in the west. This meant that expansion across the continent could continue rapidly and expand the nations borders by a ton. The railroad at the time was the fastest way to move things around the country and was the most used form of transportation prior to this. And now it can be used even more for more uses than one. The railroad was finally completed in a city in Utah, where two rail lines met and connected with one another. The event was commemorated and a big celebration was held.
At the time in 1869, this was a huge deal. This meant that trade companies could capatalize on the new frontier, and it also meant that settlers who were looking to travel west could also get there quickly, and could begin to settle their land. The railroad also meant new opportunities to build towns around the railroad itself. And thus, many new towns were created and settled. Thanks to the new trade opportunities the economy was effected in an extremely positive way. And that's just going to. The influx of raw materials and other exports from the frontier made the eastern economy bustle. Thus adding to the prosperity.
Today, trains stretch all over the u.s. and people still use them for many of the same functions today, from passenger to cargo transportation, all can be put on a train and be delivered in a reasonable amount of time. However, other forms of transportation have been invented that are faster but the train system is still used despite this.
