On a trip through the western states, it is difficult not to notice the profound influence of the railroad in development.  Town after town spring up along rail lines.  Years after unused rails have been pulled out, historical markers have sprung up, detailing a town's rise and fall (and the railroad) or great land surveys (for railroads).  Traveling along old rail beds, such as the Katy Trail in Missouri, is like passing through artery lines.  From a map, large cities work through the land in straight line formation.  How did these traces of connectivity begin?  And how did the railroad empire end?

The mid 1840's: 

America had become a two-ocean nation. As a result of the Treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo with Mexico and the earlier settlement of the Oregon with Great Britain, the United States now had control over California, Oregon, and much of the interior of the continent.  Responding to a need to connect the vast area, the 1853 Congress had Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War, conduct feasibility surveys for a transcontinental railroad. After years of debate on the best route, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act on July, 1 1862.

To learn more about the past of the pacific railroad see:

Library of Congress.   Table of contents for the 1855 "Reports of Explorations and Survey to Ascertain the Most Practicable and Economical Route for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean"   http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/moahtml/afk4383.html

General history from the Bureau of Land Management: http://www.blm.gov/education/railroads/intro.html

Railroads were given land grants throughout the west for rail development.  Working from the resources these government grants provided, railroads expanded into the western territory, opening new states for settlement.  From barren plains, large cities rose to become hubs for shipping and railroad maintenance.  

Community and economic development were not the only aims of the railroad.  Western tourism leaped up with the rise of the rails, providing access to parks, such as Yellowstone in Wyoming.  Railroads became travel agents as well as economic shippers.

The auto trend...

The decline of the railroad as a primary mode of transportation began with the rise of the auto industry, most notably, an increased use of trucks to transport perishable goods.  Farmers could solicit cheaper and swifter service from truck drivers, or rely on their own automobile, to distribute their goods.  Heavy reliance on the railroads gradually broke down.  Reliance on the railroad for leisure also fell with the automobile and later, the airplane. 

While rail use is down, it is still a primary mode of transportation for bulk freight today, though the trucking industry continues to make inroads. 

A railroad sprouts a trail...

With the decline of rail, what is to be done with rail lines that have outlived their use?  Such was the case for the Katy railroad (Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT)) in Missouri.  The railroad decided to cease operation on its route from Machens in St. Charles County to Sedalia in Pettis County in 1986.  Though some residents argued for the parceling of land to individual land owners, the state won out in its bid to develop the rail line, already solidly build, into a recreational trail.  Now, the rails-to-trails movement is pursuing old rail lines, or existing unused rail corridors for recreational development and ecological restoration.

Recreational trail information:

Bureau of Land Management.   Learn about the 90 mile Central Pacific Railroad Trail in Utah http://www.ut.blm.gov/saltlake_fo/Recreation/Back%20Country/central_pacific_railroad_trail.htm

Missouri State Parks.   Katy Trail information http://www.mostateparks.com/katytrail.htm

Read more...

Learn more about railroad history through the Bureau of Land Management: http://www.blm.gov/education/railroads/intro.html

Family tree of North American railroads: http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/fmly_tre.html

Wyoming's view of the railroad: http://wyoarchives.state.wy.us/articles/railroad.htm

Library of Congress.  History of railroads and maps: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrhome.html

General transportation information from the National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/research_room/alic/reference_desk/transportation_resources.html

National Archives railroad research tips: http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/spring_1997_railroad_records_1.html