Review
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Title: Iron Rails, Iron Men and the Race to Link the Nation: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad
Author: Martin W. Sandler
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Genre: History
Year Published: 2015
Number of Pages: 212
Binding: Hardback
ISBN13: 978-0-7636-6527-2
Price: $22.99
Reviewed by Kristie Wilkins for the Association for Mormon Letters
In his new book “Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad,” author Martin W. Sandler tells one of the most remarkable stories of courage, dedication and accomplishment in US history.
“The building of the transcontinental railroad was not only America’s greatest ‘work’; it was also one of the greatest and most daring adventures the nation had ever seen….to build a railroad some 1,800 miles over the prairies, across the deserts, and through the mountains, if it could be done at all, would, as one of its advocates stated, require the work of ‘giants’”. [Prologue]
It is hard for those us who have known no other view than that of standing on the shoulders of the very giants to which Sandler refers to imagine the western United States in the 1845 when Asa Whitney first proposed a transcontinental railroad. As a mere mortal looking toward the sunset from the banks of the Mississippi the west must have seemed an impossibly vast, empty, forbidding mystery. At that time Native Americans were the only inhabitants from the Mississippi to the west coast. The Mormon migration to the Salt Lake Valley would start that spring but it would be years before a city of any significance broke up the bareness of the land. An undertaking such as Mr. Whitney proposed must have seemed impossible to imagine, let alone achieve. Yet America was known as the land of possibilities for a reason, as a remarkable group of people would prove not too many years later.
That the Mormon migration and the Mormons themselves would play key roles in the success of the transcontinental railroad is an often-underappreciated part of this remarkable story. Mr. Sandler points out in Chapter 8: A Race for glory, “(Brigham) Young and those who had followed him into Utah would receive credit for having blazed the route into that territory. As reporter Samuel Bowles wrote once the great iron road had been complete, “But for the pioneership of the Mormons… all this central region of our great West would now be many years behind in its development, and the railroad, instead of being finished would hardly be begun.” [138]
The Mormons also became an invaluable asset to both railroads as the race to connect the nation was in its final stages. The pioneering spirit that drove the Mormons west would be a tremendous asset to both the Union Pacific (UP), and later, the Central Pacific railroad, who each would enter into agreements with the Latter-day Saints that would benefit both parties immensely. “When it (the contract with the railroad) was signed, it provided that Young would supply four thousand workers whose main tasks would be grading, tunneling, and bridge building.” [139]
“Durant had found the additional workers he needed. And he had received a bonus. For, in addition to significantly increasing the size of the UP workforce, the Mormon laborers proved to be among the most hardworking and dedicated he had ever seen.” [140] “By the time the work on the Utah roadbed was completed, one historian would write, “It was acknowledged by all railroad men that nowhere on the line could the grading compare in the completeness and finish with the work done by the people of Utah.” [141]
Sandler demonstrates that the work on the railroad proved a tremendous blessing for the Mormons as well. “As part of the agreement, the UP promised that from that time on, Mormons, particularly those immigrating to the settlements, would be allowed to travel on Union Pacific trains at lowered rates.” [139] Not only did the work on the railroad provide much needed cash for the Mormons who were reeling from an epidemic of locusts that had destroyed their crops, it provided a way for others of their faith to make their way to the valley.
So many of the details of the undertaking of these railroad companies and their men have faded from memory. Mr. Sandler is a master in bringing those details to light. I was interested to learn that, along with the railroad, crews were working to complete a transcontinental telegraph line as well, which would change the nature and speed of communication in this country forever. Sandler also highlighted the experiences and talent of the photographers who traveled with the crews throughout the duration of the project. These men endured the same extreme temperatures and harsh conditions as the rail crews for the sake of recording this feat for future generations.
Martin Sandler is a wonderfully talented storyteller who brings the drama and the triumphant accomplishment of the building of the transcontinental railroad to life for his readers. “Iron Rails, Iron Men” is a beautifully laid-out book from the old fashioned font on the cover to the track embellishment at the bottom of the pages. Sandler’s vivid descriptions of events really bring the scenes to life when paired with the stunning photographs generously placed throughout the book. Sidebars highlight key players and events, maps and timelines illustrate the progress of the work–all elements the author uses to enhance the reader’s experience to great effect.
With the completion of the transcontinental railroad the future “had arrived, and it would bring with it the greatest changes in the shortest period of time that any nation had ever experienced. There was no mystery about what would cause these transformations. As future president James A. Garfield would eventually state, ‘The changes now taking place have been wrought and are being wrought mainly, almost wholly, by a single mechanical contrivance, the steam locomotive. The railway is the greatest centralizing force of modern times.’” [173-4]
The completion of the railroad ushered in a new era of endless possibilities for the nation. It is essential that the contributions of the men who sacrificed so much for the opportunities and conveniences that are now ours not be forgotten. “Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation” is a fitting tribute to their memory and legacy. This book will certainly delight train and history lovers young and old and guarantee that legacy will live on for generations to come.