The Iron Horse: How the Railroad United America (1869) | Full History Documentary

On May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven into the Utah desert — and America became one nation. This is the full story of the Transcontinental Railroad: the desperate race between the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific, the Irish laborers who built east across the plains, the twelve thousand Chinese workers who blasted through the granite of the Sierra Nevada, the scandal and greed of Crédit Mobilier, the Hell on Wheels tent cities, the brutal winter of 1866, and the ten miles of track laid in a single day. From Abraham Lincoln's bold gamble in the middle of the Civil War to the moment the telegraph flashed a single word across the continent — DONE — this is how the iron horse shrunk a continent, invented standard time, built the cities of the West, and transformed America forever. If you love American history, subscribe to Timelinehoy for a new full documentary every day. Which American story should we tell next? Tell us in the comments. #TranscontinentalRailroad #GoldenSpike #AmericanHistory #USHistory #WildWest #RailroadHistory #1869 #IronHorse #HistoryDocumentary #Documentary #Timelinehoy #Promontory