Stephen Ambrose tells us the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad. Of course he tells us all about how they built it too. This is a fascinating story, of men against the continent. They were engaged in a race to see whether the Union Pacific or the Central Pacific would be able to build more track. In the end they both built an amazing railroad across some amazing country.
Ambrose tells us about the men who dreamed of the railroad, of the men who found the route, the men who financed it, the men who bossed the job, and the men who did all the real work. He tells us how the Central Pacific ended up hiring thousands of Chinese men. He tells us the way tunnels were dug with black powder and nitroglycerin. He tells us about the snow that stopped all work on both ends of the line. He tells about the men who bilked the railroads of millions during the construction.
The book is an excellent read. I had trouble putting it down. If you like history, you'll like this book.
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