Railway construction and mining expansion in the American West (1862-1900)

1. Comstock Lode discovery accelerates western mining

   Jun 1, 1859Labels: Comstock Lode, Virginia City

   • BLM
   • Nevada SHPO

2. Pacific Railroad Act authorizes rail and telegraph

   Jul 1, 1862Labels: Pacific Railroad, Abraham Lincoln

   • Natl Archives

3. Union Pacific builds westward from Omaha area

   Jul 1, 1862Labels: Union Pacific, Omaha

   • Natl Archives
   • Nebraska History

4. Central Pacific begins building east from Sacramento

   Jan 8, 1863Labels: Central Pacific, Sacramento

   • CPRR Museum
   • Britannica

5. Golden Spike marks transcontinental railroad completion

   May 10, 1869Labels: Golden Spike, Promontory Summit

   • Library Congress
   • Utah History

6. General Mining Act formalizes claim-based mining

   May 10, 1872Labels: General Mining, federal lands

   • Mining Law

7. Crédit Mobilier scandal exposed in national press

   Sep 4, 1872Labels: Cr dit, Union Pacific

   • US House

8. Panic of 1873 slows railroad and mining growth

   Sep 1, 1873Labels: Panic of

   • Britannica

9. Homestake discovery drives Black Hills hardrock mining

   Apr 9, 1876Labels: Homestake Mine, Black Hills

   • Mining Museum
   • Homestake Mine

10. Santa Fe rails reach Santa Fe, reshaping trade routes

    Feb 9, 1880Labels: Atchison Topeka, Santa Fe

    • NPS Santa Fe

11. Northern Pacific completes northern transcontinental line

    Sep 8, 1883Labels: Northern Pacific, Gold Creek

    • WyoHistory
    • NP Completion

12. Dawes Act breaks up tribal landholdings

    Feb 8, 1887Labels: Dawes Act, tribal allotment

    • NPS Dawes

13. Sherman Silver Purchase Act boosts demand for silver

    Jul 14, 1890Labels: Sherman Silver

    • Sherman Act
    • State Dept

14. Panic of 1893 triggers railroad failures and mine closures

    Jun 1, 1893Labels: Panic of

    • Panic 1893
    • HistoryLink

15. Silver purchase repeal marks shift away from silver

    Nov 1, 1893Labels: Silver Purchase

    • State Dept
    • Sherman Act

16. Gold Standard Act solidifies new financial order

    Mar 14, 1900Labels: Gold Standard

    • Gold Act