Life in The Camps

     Eli Warmenhoven

Period 5

 Life on the trains was describes as "Hell on Wheels." Miners and traders were scattered across the countryside, getting used to their new outpost. Gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels were all assembled from wood or canvas to support their needs. The train serve brought in carloads of migrants to settle in. People would settle in with the workers to make a couple bucks. 
      These colonies of workers were very portable. One day they could be working and the next they could be on the road. All they had to do is pack up their things and dismantle the shacks. Once they packed up everything they followed the newly-laid track. Once the group of railroaders left the town they were working in the town dried up. It acts as if the town is abandoned. They moved to a location in Wyoming territory that was near a military post. They used that as their protection from claim-jumpers on the railroad property. Once the "Hell on Wheels" set up their shacks and got to work the town often grew tired of crime, Murders happened nightly. 
      The life in the camps was very rough. They constantly had to be ready to move. Never having a true home, but having a portable shack. I imagine the workers had very little supplies or food to get through the job. Death was a common thing in the camps, diseases going around with the workers and murders happening every night. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tcrr-hell/

Riley Courteau

Period 5

Transcontinental railroad

This article is talking about how they created railroads across the nation allowing them to trade between states and the transfer goods and material from over seas. Within ten years of having the railroad up in America they have transported about 50 million dollars worth of freight from coast to coast each year. People could even travel across the country to see other places and other stuff like books ended up in other states like New York. Railroads were a big impact back then because it allowed them to transport material and items that were sent from over seas. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tcrr-impact/