Letter from Thomas Durant, President Union Pacific Railroad to President Abraham Lincoln
This letter from Thomas Durant, president of the newly formed Union Pacific Railroad, to President Abraham Lincoln, is one of the first signs of the Second Industrial Revolution. In his letter, Durant makes a humble request for the first 100 miles of track of what will become the largest railroad company in the United States. Since the Civil War was upon the nation, construction of these first 100 miles would have to wait until the end of the war, which would not come for another six months.
Five years after Durant sent this letter to the President, Union Pacific would complete construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States, under Durant’s direction. The completion of this railroad would allow a traveler to leave New York City on Monday morning and arrive in San Francisco on Thursday afternoon. Prior to the transcontinental railroad’s completion, the same trip would have taken around six months.
Letter from Thomas Durant, President of the Union Pacific Railroad to President Abraham Lincoln, November 3, 1864. National Archives Identifier: 302008.
Letter from Thomas Durant, President of the Union Pacific Railroad, to Abraham Lincoln, November 3, 1864. National Archives Identifier: 302008.
View and download the Letter from Thomas Durant, President of the Union Pacific Railroad to President Abraham Lincoln in the National Archives Catalog. You can explore more records held in the National Archives at College Park through the National Archives Catalog or by visiting our research room in person. These records are located in Record Group 48: Records of Office of the Secretary of Interior, Series: Railroad Packages, 1849–1901.