The groundbreaking ceremony for the Central Pacific Railroad is held on January 8, 1863.
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The Central Pacific digs the highest tunnel on the line at 7,017 feet above sea level.
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The 44 snow storms in the winter of 1866-1867 dumped almost 45 feet of snow in the Sierras. So that work can continue in the Sierras throughout the winter months, snow sheds were built over the tracks.
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At Bloomer Cut, which took months to complete, workers blasted through solid rock to excavate a steep v-shaped cut sixty-three feet deep and eight hundred feet long.
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On April 28, 1869, shortly before the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, the Central Pacific crew laid an astonishing ten miles of track in one day.
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The ceremonial golden spike is driven into the last rail of the completed Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869.
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Dale Creek in Wyoming's Black Hills was a tiny little stream but ran through a deep gorge. Crossing it would require building a trestle bridge 126 feet high and 700 feet long.
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By April 15, 1868, the Union Pacific tracks had reached Sherman Summit, at 8,242 feet, a new record for the highest railroad tracks anywhere in the world.
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As the Union Pacific railroad moved west, towns sprang up at the end of the track. Known as Hell on Wheels towns, the collection of hastily assembled gambling dens, music halls, saloons, hotels, and houses of ill repute moved along with the railroad.
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Omaha, Nebraska The Union Pacific heads west, laying the first rails on July 10, 1865.
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