On BBC 2 last night there was a programme in the series ‘Seven Wonders of the Industrial World’.
This particular episode was on the building of the Transcontinental Railroad in the United States.
As one would expect the show did not present the companies involved (the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific) in a very positive light. And the BBC have a point – the companies were subsidy grubbing, brutal and corrupt.
However, it was also clear from the programme that the the Central Pacific was less brutal, less corrupt and more effective than the Union Pacific.
Some things the programme did not mention (for example the Central Pacific’s policy of ‘buying off’ Indians – rather than just getting the army to kill them). But it did show that although the Central Pacific Railroad were ruthless they were not the killers (of Indians and Whites) that the Union Pacific were. The programme also showed that the owners of the Central Pacific actually cared about their company (rather than just considering an object to be looted as Durant of the Union Pacific did).
Furthermore it was clear that the Central Pacific overcame vast physical obstructions to the building of a railroad and that its people (White and Chinese) showed creative thought and vast physical effort in overcoming these obstructions.
In the end the Central Pacific won the race to get to the rendezvous point decreed by Congress – and had to wait for two days for the Union Pacific to turn up.
Fantasy presents conflicts as being between good guys and bad guys. However, in real life conflicts are more often between bad guys and worse guys (although later in American railroad history J.J. Hill does appear to have been a genuine good guy).
It was good for the soul of America that the bad guys (rather than the worse guys) won the race.
I too found it fascinating. There was much in it I had never known, despite having been an avid model railroader in my teen years and growing up at a time when American History was still taught.
In particular, from the statements of the men running the Central Pacific, it was quite clear they were not the anti-chinese racists I’d always had the impression they were. They were instead quite respectful of the abilities of the Chinese workers and felt they deserved a proud place in California’s history.
I also found the treatment of the Union Pacific’s chief engineer quite interesting. He was definitely a man who considered honour a serious matter. I came away from the show with a great deal of respect for him, even if I did disagree with some of the heavy handedness… but one must measure events and people against the backdrop of their own time, not ours.
“…growing up at a time when American History was still taught.”
Huh? We are still making it, last I looked, and for better or worse. Who has stopped and why?
This reminds me of the tidbit of info that got the good old “robber barons” a little extra cash… A geologist theorized that the roots of the Sierra Nevada mountain range went deep and wide, and they used this info to prove that Sacramento was in the mountains, and could therefore get extra federal funds to get past obstacles. Nevermind that the first serious slopes are about sixty miles away…
There’s actually a terrific book detailing the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad:
Nothing Like it in the World by the late, great Steven Ambrose.
A definate must read!