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WidgetsTranscontinental Railroad
The joining of the rails at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869, marked the beginning of a new era for the nation, the West, and for Utah. These resources for teaching the Transcontinental Railroad explore this rich history and the many ways the railroad transformed life in Utah.
Lesson Plans 
General Resources Places to Visit Videos
Lesson Plans
Please share your feedback on these lessons here.
Ride the Trails on a Button Train!
Grade 3
Utah Communities and the Railroad
Webquest Slides (ppt)
Grade 4
Blast Through the Past: Transportation & Movement in Utah
Mapping Activity Slides (ppt)
How did the Transcontinental Railroad Change Utah's Economy?
Teamwork and Competition on the Transcontinental Railroad
Teamwork Slides (ppt)
The Railroad: A Case Study of Envrionmental Modifications
The Transcontinental Railroad Comes to Utah!
Geography Mapping Slides (ppt)
Chinese Railroad Workers
Chinese Railroad Workers Slides (ppt)
Indigenous Encounters with the Transcontinental Railroad
Indigenous Encounters Slides (ppt)
Irish Workers on the Transcontinental Railroad
Mormon Workers and the Transcontinental Railroad
Utah's ARMI: Agriculture, Railroad, Mining, Industrialization
Grade 8
From Stage to Rail: Comparing Travel Before and After the Transcontinental Railroad
Native Rumors: Rumor vs. Reality of Indigenous Attacks on the Trails West
Ogden & Corinne: Two Utah Cities Changed by the Transcontinental Railroad
Multiple
The TCRR, Apollo 11, and the Next Moon Shot
CThe TCRR, Apollo 11, and the Next Moon Shot Slides (ppt)
The Golden Spike's Unsung Heroes
(900mb)
Video of Lesson
Video of Graphic Novel
The Great Race to PromontoryAn interactive website illustrating the journey through 46 communities profoundly impacted by the railroad.
PBS: The Transcontinental RailroadThis lesson plan has students assess the need for a transcontinental railroad in the 1860's. (Grades 6-12)
Spike 150 Celebration - May 10, 2019Experience the celebration at Promontory Summit honoring the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike ceremony, which marked the 1869 completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in Utah.
The Transcontinental Rail Network, 1878 Using a general map of U.S. railroads in 1878, students examine the geographic, political, and economic factors that influenced the growth of this network. (Grades K-12)
National Archives: Reasons for Westward ExpansionStudents will examine a variety of documents that reference reasons why Americans living in the East migrated west of the Mississippi immediately before, during, and right after the Civil War. Documents cover the mining industry, new inventions used on the Plains, the growth of the railroad, the Homestead Act, and the Cattle Kingdom.
National Archives: The Settlement of the American WestStudents will analyze primary sources with an eye for cause-and-effect relationships.They will identify the roles of government policy and technological improvements in the settlement of the West, and explain their impact on Native Americans.
National Archives: Evaluating Perspectives on Westward ExpansionIn this activity, students will use primary sources as historical evidence to determine if western expansion was worth it.
National Archives: The Impact of Westward Expansion on Native American CommunitiesIn this activity, students will examine the impact of westward expansion and settlement on Native American communities following the Civil War. Students will explore a variety of documents to get a sense of the issues faced by Native Americans due to settlement and U.S. Government Indian policy.
National Archives: What Else Was Happening During the Civil War Era?In this activity, students will explore changes that occurred in the United States in the greater context of the Civil War era. Students will gain an understanding of the simultaneous nature of these events and the multifaceted nature of American government during wartime.
Transcontinental Railroad Story MapCreated by the Utah Division of State History Antiquities program, this story map offers historical context on how the construction of the railroad was such a watershed event for Utah and the American West. Produced in partnership with Spike150.
Gilder Lehrman History NowThis issue of History Now is devoted to the impact of this most famous moment in American rail history: the joining of the East and the West by the transcontinental railroad. Gilder Lehrman proves lesson plans and images. Some materials require signing up for a free account.
Free downloadable audio tours of Historic Ogden!To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad, What’sHerName Podcast has created two free downloadable audio tours of historic Ogden, Utah, in cooperation with the Weber County Heritage Foundation and Union Station.
Spike 150Spike 150 is an initiative of Utah’s Transcontinental Railroad 150th Celebration Commission. The Utah State Legislature and Governor Gary Herbert established the Commission in 2017.
The Great Race to PromontoryUnion Pacific railroad presents The 150th Anniversary of Driving the Golden Spike at Promontory Summit, Utah.
Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project seeks to give a voice to the Chinese migrants whose labor on the Transcontinental Railroad helped to shape the physical and social landscape of the American West.
Central Pacific Railroad
Photographic History MuseumThis feature from the Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum includes history, exhibits, and photographs.
Westward Expansion, 1860–1890This interactive map allows you to explore several ways in which the United States experienced substantial growth between the years 1860–1890.
Article: Railroads in UtahThis article from the Utah History Encyclopedia describes the impact that all rail lines, not just the Transcontinental Line, had on Utah.
SPICE Lessons on the Chinese WorkersThe Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), using research and findings from the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University, has created lessons for high school students.
Utah State Railroad MuseumIn 1988 the State of Utah designated the Union Station in Ogden, Utah as the Utah State Railroad Museum to handle railroad artifacts.
Western Mining and Railroad Museum This museum is located in Helper, Utah, which got its name because of the engines required to help the trains climb the steep grades to Soldier Summit.
Golden Spike
National Historic Site Visit this historic site to view locomotive demonstrations and reenactments of the driving of the last spike ceremony. The website has good information too.
A World Transformed Exhibition Visit the large exhibition starting January 2019 at any of it's four locations. A digital format, located at exhibits.usu.edu has lessons plans. You can also book a small version to visit your school.
46 seconds
30 minutes
2:45
1:21:53
9:42
Promontory is a documentary by Ken Verdoia that answered the question, "Why wasn't Brigham Young at Promontory on May 10, 1869?" The program was first broadcast on PBS Utah, Channel 7, in May 2002 (57 minutes).
Promontory