Bring a Drink of Water Leroy
Posted: Sunday, December 21, 2008
by David Tanguay
The uniting of the east with the west by rail back in 1869 is a story we all read about in our history books.
East and West Shaking Hands
East and West Shaking Hands was the title given to the photograph below, taken on May 10, 1869. The meeting of two railroads at Promontory Point, Utah, joined a country that had been recently divided by civil war. But the men shown in this picture are only part of the story. Who built the lines? Who traveled upon them? What effect did this handshake between East and West have on the frontier?
Magically transforming everything, they touched railroads united people and altered how they lived and worked. They created and destroyed cities. Dreams were built and broken on the iron rails that crossed America as settlers swept westward in the expansion of empire.
The Irish and Chinese laborers working side by side cussing each step of the way, men of steel lying track and driving in spikes, these were no ordinary men. For all the progress made in our country not only the rail lines but also our highways we travel today were all built by hard working hands.
A hundred years ago, there were no giant diggers or powerful bulldozers. Rail cuttings and embankments were dug by human muscle power. Armies of workers shifted soil, laid tracks and built bridges.
Yes education is important the more we learn the more sophisticated we become. However, we must not forget the ordinary hard working people who paved the way to the world we live in today. If it wasn't for their blood, sweat and tears which consecrated our land we wouldn't have the many wonders we have today.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Yes on the backs, sweat and tears of hard working people from all over this globe. Good job David.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thank you again Mr. Melaccio, yes it took men to match our mountains to build this country.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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