The Pony Express In Nevada

Jim and Henry Fraeb built a trading post in 1843 it was called Fort Bridger in Wyoming along the Green River. Jim Bridger was a the best path finder in American history and he had a great opportunity when Captain Howard Stanbury came in to Fort Bridger and asked about a short cut across the Rockies other than the South Pass so Jim guided him through a trail that was along the south of the Great Basin. After that trip it was named Bridger’s Pass which would be used for mail, the railroad, and now it is called Interstate

In the 1800’s, Colorado was pretty much a “gold” mine for settlers traveling west. The city of Denver was bypassed by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) through Cheyenne, Wyoming from Omaha, Nebraska, 100 miles to the north. David Halliday Moffat, one of Denver’s most important financiers and industrialists, had a vision. Having built several rail lines for a few railroads such as the Denver Pacific Railway (DP) and the Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railway (DSP&P), he wanted to connect Denver and Salt Lake City, Utah by rail. However, David had a problem: the Rocky Mountains were in the way.

Virginia City was one of the first cities in Nevada, and it was-established in 1859. Frontiers men discovered silver in Virginia City opening up the area to lots of mining. Virgina City was-considered a mining boom town, which means it sprang up over night. From 1862-1863 the population went from four thousand to fifteen thousand. By 1873 they had twenty-five thousand people live there, and it was-considered the richest city in America! By 1879 the mining business was running out and the population went below eleven thousand. The current population is 855, according to the 2010 senses. It isn't populated at all, It is pretty empty. It is now considered a tourist attraction. I live in Clark County, and the name of our seven commissioners are:

On May 10, 1869 as the “Last Spike” struck by Leland Stanford now connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads across the United States at Promontory Summit in the Utah Territory. The transcontinental railroads now complete and America is now destined to move to the forefront of the world’s stage. This new railroad system encouraged the growth of American businesses and promoted the development of the nation’s public discourse and intellectual life.1 At the same time, this new railroad affected many people positively

Roads brought many dangers to the stagecoach travelers. Not only did they have to bear the unpleasant whirlwinds of dust that were roads in the summer, and the mud pits they were in the winter, but they also had to worry about tree-strew roads, rickety bridges, carriage overturns, and runaway horse. Despite this danger, people had still travelled and taverns began to spring up all main routes of travel. These taverns provided a place to rest from travelling the worrisome trip as provide luxuries such as bowling, billiards, and bars. Finally, the mail system became a consequence of the new road system connecting the major cities in the mid-1700’s but service was slow and privacy was not present as mail carriers would pass time by reading the letters and parcels they were entrusted

“If any act symbolized the taming of the Northwest frontier, it was the driving of the final spike to complete the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.”1 The first railroad west of the Mississippi River was opened on December 23, 1852. Five miles long, the track ran from St. Louis to Cheltanham, Missouri. Twenty-five years prior, there were no railroads in the United States; twenty-five years later, railroads joined the east and west coasts from New York to San Francisco.2

The Transcontinental Railroad was one of the most ambitious engineering projects, economic stimulants, and efficient methods of transportation in the early United States. If completed, the United States would be truly be united from east to west. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Transcontinental Railroad helped develop new opportunities for many aspects of American life.

The transcontinental railroad is accepted as one of the greatest accomplishments during the 19th century. “In a petition submitted to the U.S. Congress on Jan. 29, 1845, New York merchant Asa Whitney proposed one of the most audacious ventures in American history: the construction of a railroad from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean, spanning two-thirds of the North American continent. In bold and stirring words, describing how such a rail network would revolutionize “the entire commerce of the world,” Whitney urged the federal government to underwrite the ambitious project.” (Visions of Empire). The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 was authorized and passed, the railroad companies began to build a transcontinental railroad. Connecting over 2,000 miles of land, crossing deserts and mountains. It’s an amazing achievement since it lowered the traveling time to just a few days compared to the months.

Business growth on both sides of the country was expedited by a new form of cheap distribution into profitable, expanding markets. Easy transportation facilitated the concept of business travel and expansion on an unprecedented scale. However, some of the largest impacts of the Transcontinental Railroad can be seen through the cross­country exchange of ideas. Before the railroad existed, the only fast exchange of information was written through the pony express. The Transcontinental Railroad created an outlet of communicating new ideas and information in person. A smooth and swift cross­country exchange of people and ideas not only made America more infrastructurally sophisticated ­­ it acted as a foundation for the Western United States to grow from very little to the political, social, economic, and technological center that it is today.

For some people, the title is scandalous. For others, it is seen as progressive. Either way it is a factor in the early shaping of the identity of the “Biggest Little City”. People come from all over the world to get divorced in Reno and have to stay in Northern Nevada for a minimum of six weeks before they can legally be divorced. Most others that know of Reno, see it as mining town with a “saloon crowd” mentality. Reno will benefit greatly from the discovery of silver at Tonopah (1900) and then two years later, the discovery of gold at Goldfield (as well as a dozen smaller strikes in central

Racial segregation ended in all Las Vegas resorts in 1961, which was six years after they had opened their first integrated resort. In Las Vegas whites and Hispanics had the highest composition rates in 2013 and 2014. Blacks and all other races ethnic compositions had a lower population in the same following years. By the year of 1910, out of the population of 945 people, forty of them were blacks. In 2008, the population of black people had increased to 125,000 which was about nine percent of the total population of the people that lived and worked in the Las Vegas valley.In the mid-century Las Vegas seemed to be onerous that achieved the natural prominence, which caused Nevada to be labeled as “Mississippi of the West”. Over the years black activism and political pressure succeeded in reducing its racial

"No More "Arid West" On the Map." El Paso Herald 12 Jan. 1910, Skyscraper Edition 1

They had the top housing market and were building new schools monthly to keep up with their population growth. When the recession hit they took a huge loss in the amount of revenue that was collected every year from their tourist attractions. In addition, the housing market to fell and educational cuts happened throughout the region. Teachers were being let go and public services were also being effected by this. In Nevada’s circumstance, and much like every other state, they rely mostly on their sale revenue and income taxes. When a recession hit revenue decrease and the people’s income taxes were affected making it difficult for spending. “Nevada has cumulatively lost $25.4 billion in income since 2008, translating into a staggering $9,800 per resident”(Abramsk 2). This affected health care, education and public safety and consumer demand.

One interesting feature of the southwestern United States is the area known as the "Four Comers." the only place in the United States where four slates meet at one point. Within the 130,000 square miles of the Colorado Plateau in this region lie many wonders of nature. The plateau contains eight national parks, twenty national monuments, as well as numerous other nationally designated areas and huge tracts of national forests. This wealth of natural features and the cultures of the various Native American tribes in the region have made the area an important destination for tourists, especially those interested in natural history and culture.

When the Pacific Railroad Act ordered for the construction of the Transcontinental railroad in 1862, most people were able to find the positive side in the new form of transportation. Westward migration had previously been difficult for groups such as the Mormons and many others due to the harsh environment, as well as, natives attacking weary travelers. With the new railroad, westward migration would be easier than ever, allowing for what is referred to as the “Great westward migration”. This migration led to the founding of land in which towns and full cities were derived. However, with the great westward migration also came what many referred to as “hell on wheels”. As the railroad expanded westward, so did unsavory past times including, gambling, prostitution, and the building of saloons (Outline:Railroads). Not surprisingly, what many call “the oldest profession in the world” existed in Nevada even before the great westward migration occurred, prostitution.