| Summary: | "Explores the building of the Pacific railroad. Stretching from Omaha to Sacramento, this incredible feat of engineering and hubris utterly transformed the lands it connected -- previously remote prairies, suddenly there for the taking, attracted peasant farmers who began to plant wheat; cattle ranchers transported their vast herds to markets in the east; swaggering buffalo hunters pillaged native lands; Abilene, Wichita, and Dodge became boom towns. Furthermore, thanks to the increased pace of commerce and the easy accessibility between coasts, the United States became a real contender for world power. Specific topics in this volume include: the politics of funding and commissioning the railroad project, the recruitment of Chinese labor and the appalling death toll, Charles Goodnight and the birth of the cattle-driving industry, the national celebration at the driving in of the final stake, Emmeline Wells and the winning of women's suffrage in Utah, the loneliness and determination of foreign immigrants, and of course, cowboys. The documentary features firsthand accounts such as diaries and letters, as well as interviews with historians and cultural experts, and stunning cinematography of the still-untamed West."--Sarah Welsh, Rovi.
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