MAP 18.1: Railroad Expansion, 1870

MAP 18.1 Railroad Expansion, 1870–1890

Railroad mileage nearly quadrupled between 1870 and 1890, with the greatest growth occurring in the trans-Mississippi West. New transcontinental lines were completed in the 1880s. Fueled by speculation and built ahead of demand, the western railroads made fortunes for individual speculators. But they rarely paid for themselves and speeded the decline of Native Americans.

> MAP ACTIVITY

READING THE MAP: Where were most of the railroad lines located in 1870? By 1890, how many railroads reached the West Coast? What was the end point of the only western route?

CONNECTIONS: Why were so many rails laid between 1870 and 1890? How did the railroads affect the nation’s economy?