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The Northern Pacific Railroad

Trains are one of the most efficient transport methods that can be used to move goods

over long distances at a relatively cheaper cost and an increased efficiency. More than a third of

freight goods are transported through railroads. The railway system in the present day is much

improved and has expanded to connect most cities of the world. But this was not the case two

hundred years ago. One of the major developments in the railway transport system was

witnessed in the 1800s when the Northern Pacific railroad was constructed. The decision to build

the railway was born in the 1850s when there was a great expansion of the United States this was

due to the Gold rush that was in California and the Silver Rush in Nevada (Fairweather 97. The

availability of this two precious minerals made Americans move further west while chasing

greener pastures and economic prosperity. The American political system looking at this odds

passed the Bill that was named the Pacific Railroad Bill that provided several grants and access

to funds to build the railroad (Ocker n.p). The two companies that were given the responsibility

to build the railroad were the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific. The railroad is linked to the

development and opening of the united states to opportunities that led to present America. The

United States stands out to be one of the most developed countries in the world, and its people

enjoy a stable economy as compared to the other countries of the world. Its current rail system is

greatly advanced and contributes a great deal to the country’s economy. The Northern Pacific
Railroad, the first railroad across the North American continent built in 1860, has made great

contributions to the economic development of the United States, and it was the railway that made

modern America to some extent.

Creation of employment was one of the significant contributions the railroad made to the

American in its construction and after its completion. First and foremost, the railroad building

made people from all over the United States both the skilled and unskilled to secure a job. The

biggest economic problem every country fights is unemployment. The railway building helped

solve this problem as the railway created more than fifty thousand jobs for the American people.

The American government gained through the taxes paid by the people thus increasing its tax

revenues that was used to finance other projects. Other than the direct employment creation,

there was the development of businesses along the railway line (Kristina n.p). As the railroad

was built, people migrated from rural areas to settle along the rail. This included people who had

intentions to develop businesses to serve the booming population of workers. Among the

businesses were hotel and food outlets. This was meant to serve the railway workers and also

other people who migrated to the area. After its completion, the railway attracted a lot more

people ranging from business people to tourists who wished to travel to America. This, therefore,

means that the rail company had to hire a lot of personnel to run the system. Among them are the

operators, cargo sorting team, management, passenger service personnel among others. All this

contributed to the American revenues through taxes paid by the railway employees and the

businesses that developed due to the opening of the Railroad.

The second contribution was the opening of America to trade. The railway connected a

number of cities across North America and thus making trade and conduction of business easy

and efficient. For instance, the construction of the railway connected Minnesota to the twin
cities. This, therefore, means that goods and people could move across the cities with ease.

Additionally, the opening of the Northern Pacific Railroad connected America to the west thus

opening up the country for business. Merchants could move their goods and services easy

throughout the country and also avoided risks that were witnessed in the road transport systems

like theft and destruction of goods during transportation. Other countries also gained access to

America as the railway connected the American cities to the port systems. International traders

were then able to access goods produced in America with ease and in an efficient way. This

motivated many western traders to prefer importing goods from the United States as the system

was efficient and fast as compared, to other countries that had not yet adopted such an extensive

rail system (Kristina n.p). America was also able to access goods and service it could not have

been able to access. This ranged from goods to services that it could not have gotten access to.

Finally, trade expansion is the reduction of travel hours. For instance, the connection of the twin

cities to Brainerd reduced travel time by ten hours. This was a great achievement to the

American people and the international community as the rail saved them ten hours that could be

translated to other businesses. Another shortening was that from little fall to Stables that reduced

travel distance by 26 miles.

Another positive impact of the railroad was the reduction of traffic on the American

roads. America was starting to experience the effect of traffic as every person was running to

have personal cars. This saw the American streets fill with automobiles both personal and

commercial. This led to endless traffic jams that led to valuable economic time thus retarding the

country’s economic growth. Most business people started to avoid conducting business in the

United States as the time taken to transport goods was too long and thus led to the destruction of

goods and reduced value (Fairweather 97). The road network was also expensive as the Lorries
used to transport cargo were limited to a certain capacity. This, therefore, meant that business

people and companies could spend a lot of money to transport materials and finished goods to

the markets. This cost was, in turn, reflected in the prices of the products and this affected the

quality of life of the American people. But with the opening up of the railway, the distance was

reduced, the cost of transportation was also reduced, and this led to the reduction of production

costs (Taylor 37). Producers could get access to a vast pool of the untapped resources of the west

and thus produced products of high quality and lower prices. This is what gave the American

people the quality of life that they are living in the present day. An average person in America

was able to live a better life and thus contributed to the national GDP. Other than road traffic,

the railroad helped reduce the riverboat traffic that had started to be a menace in the northern

cities. The low water also was a significant disadvantage to the Riverboat transport. But with the

building of the railway, this problem was solved.

Bulky transportation was a problem in the US, and it was costly to use the other available

transport systems. But the building of the Northern Pacific railroad helped solve this problem.

The most common bulky goods that needed transportation was the silver and gold ores that were

mined during this period. The mineral needed an efficient transport system that could transport

the ores to the factories to refining. The railway also transported workers to the sites and also

machinery and equipment that were needed (Taylor 37). Other forms of transport could not be

used as other equipment are heavy and thus could not be transported through the road system.

Other than the mining industry, the railroad also provided the chemical producers with a perfect

transport system to transport its goods to the labs and other destinations (Morris n.p). The

chemical industry contributes a great deal to the development of virtually all sectors of the

economy. But the major problem in this sector is the risks associated with the transportation.
Other chemicals are extremely corrosive and thus requires that it be handled with care and away

from the public. The railroad provided a solution to this as it was safe and less association with

the public. The reduction of travel time also reduced the risks and thus ensuring that the chemical

products reached their destinations in time. All the other sectors of the economy developed as

they depended on the railroad. For instance, the agricultural sector received fertilizers in time,

and the medical industry received medical equipment in time.

America receives a good amount of revenues from the film and the tourism industry. It

makes a significant contribution to the American dream. The 1890s saw the highest development

in this two industries and thus required an efficient travel system. Film industry requires that

actors and film producer travel long distances to perfect their art. This could not be possible as it

could be costly for the producers to transport all the crew and the equipment needed for

continuous production. But with the opening of the North Pacific railroad, producers could

transport their film crew across America with ease and thus reducing their production costs

significantly (Brégent-Heald 19). This is the core reason behind the rapid development of the

entertainment and film industry in the 1900s. Actors were able to travel easily across the United

States, and their products were easily posted to the final consumers. Other than the film industry,

America earns a considerable amount of revenue from the tourism industry. The construction of

the North Pacific rail opened up the country for both domestic and international tourists to travel

the country (Morris n.p).

Additionally, the railroad provided the tourists with an improved class system and this

translated to national revenues. Other than the physical travel, the railroad sponsored the

production of the railroad films. This films changed the entertainment industry into a cinematic,

tourists as audiences could see the scenic wonders of the West. A combination of this
advancement is reflected in today’s America as the American people spend a good among of

their incomes to go to cinemas and to travel the world. This culture is attributed to the North

Pacific railroad that opened up the film and tourism industry.

The development of the railroad led to development of agriculture in the Red River

Valley of the north. The United States economy is stable because of its advanced agricultural

system. The population is also at a constant increase since the 1800s. This, therefore, calls for a

productive agricultural system that can feed its massive population and also have a surplus to

sell. The construction of the Northern Pacific railway helped the United States to develop its

agricultural sector. People in the Red River valley were able to access agricultural equipment and

materials in time and thus increasing their outputs exponentially (Murray 59). Among the

materials are fertilizers and even professional help that educated the farmers regarding the best

agricultural practices. Additionally, farmers always need to be guaranteed of the market for their

farm produce. The Railroad provided the farmers with this guarantee, and thus they were

motivated to advance their agricultural practices to another level. The farmers were also able to

access professional assistance easily and also order farm equipment at a relatively cheaper cost.

Other than market and material access, the railroad opened the United States to the outside

world, and thus people could travel freely in the region. The sharing of information by people

from different countries led to a better understanding of the agricultural systems. People shared

knowledge and agricultural methods thus leading to the development of efficient farming

methods. Effective farming led to production of high-quality agricultural produce at a relatively

lower cost. Farmers were also able to access different markets and choose the market that offered

them the best prices for their goods. This gave them the motivation to work harder and produce

more. This is reflected in the healthy population in America and also the improved social
amenities such as hospitals and schools that were built with money earned from the agricultural

sector (Cotroneo 300).

Finally, America was built on timber, and the railroad was responsible for this. The

Northern Pacific Railroad was responsible for the marketing of timber in the region. At the end

of the 19th century, the Northern Pacific was one of the largest owners of timberland, and it rose

to be the major private seller of timber in the US (Cotroneo 151). The profits earned by the

company in one way contributed to the development of infrastructure and another rail network in

the US. They were able to build other connection lines to other cities and thus connecting them

to the outside world. The timber business also fueled the development of other companies like

timber export and even furniture building thus driving the United States economy to a level it is

presently.

In conclusion, the development of the Northern Pacific Railroad contributed a great deal

to the development of America and its current state. Among the core developments that were

made possible by the railway include the creation of employment thus reducing the economic

strain in America. Additionally, the revenues earned through taxes of the employees helped in

the development of other infrastructures like roads and schools. The film and the tourism sector

also improved due to the building of the railway. Producers were able to transport their crew

around America with ease and thus attracting more and more people to invest in the

entertainment industry. Finally, the agricultural sector in the US developed due to the opening up

of the region. Farmers were able to access brand new markets for their products. Farming

materials and equipment were easily accessible and thus making the process more comfortable

and efficient. This is an indication that the Northern Pacific railroad contributed significantly to
the development and stabilization of the United States Economy and it is what gave America its

glory.
 Bibliography

Brégent-Heald, Dominique. "All Aboard! Travel Films, Railroads, and the North American

West, 1897–1910." American Review of Canadian Studies 45.1 (2015): 8-25.

Cotroneo, Ross R. "Timber Marketing by the Northern Pacific Railway, 1920-1952." Journal of

Forest History 20.3 (1976): 120-131.

Cotroneo, Ross R. "Western Land Marketing by the Northern Pacific Railway." The Pacific

Historical Review (1968): 299-320

Fairweather, Hanford W. "The Northern Pacific Railroad and Some of Its History." The

Washington Historical Quarterly(1919): 95-99.

Heather M. MacIntosh. Northern Pacific Railroad and Seattle Development,

http://historylink.org/File/1734 (accessed July 28, 2018). (Heather n.p)

Kristina Gray. Crookston, a Railroad and River Town,

http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20120314/NEWS/303149985(accessed July 28, 2018).

Morris, G. D. L. "Western railroads: Down to two." Chemical week 158.36S2 (1996): T19-T19.

Murray, Stanley N. "Railroads and the agricultural development of the Red River Valley of the

North, 1870-1890." Agricultural History 31.4 (1957): 57-66.

Ocker. Kenny. ‘Noah of the railroads’: Northern Pacific historian James Fredrickson dies,

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article73483527.html(accessed July 28,

2018).
Taylor, Jan. "MARKETING THE NORTHWEST: The Northern Pacific Railroad's Last Spike

Excursion." Montana: The Magazine of Western History 60.4 (2010): 16-94.