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USA Studies Weekly—1565 to the Present
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Worksheet 1 Week 21
The First Transcontinental Railroad
Read the text describing the route of the first transcontinental railroad. Using your knowledge of United States geography along with additional resources, draw the route taken by the first transcontinental railroad. Be sure to include a title and a map key. Label the important cities and major mountain ranges along the route. Use a symbol of your choice to mark where the two railroad companies met to place the final piece of track. Bonus: Use your math skills to make a scale.
The Transcontinental Railroad Route
After much debate, people decided that the railroad route would follow the established Oregon, Mormon and California trails. The line began in Omaha, Nebraska, and followed the Platte River. It crossed over the Rocky Mountains at South Pass in Wyoming, and it then went through northern Utah and Nevada. From there the train crossed the Sierra Mountains to Sacramento, California. Workers laid more tracks to connect Denver, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah, along with other cities not on the direct route. The Union Pacific Railroad built the line westward, and the Central Pacific Railroad built eastward. After six years, the two lines connected
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Map Key
TEKS: 6A, 6B, 7A, 24C, 25A, 25D
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