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Northern Pacific Railroad Act

7/2/2009:

The Northern Pacific's struggle to finance and complete the nation's second transcontinental railroad is a familiar story to most North Dakotans. Less familiar was the equaling daunting task of securing a charter from the federal government to build that line.

Proposals to construct a railroad spanning the northern reaches of the United States had been championed as early as the 1830s. But it took another decade and the work of a New York merchant, Asa Whitney, to grab the attention of Congress. He knew that linking the coasts would expand commerce with China and put the US at the center of a trade corridor stretching from Europe to Asia.

After traversing 1,500 miles of the Missouri River, Whitney mapped a route stretching from Lake Michigan to the Columbia River. He suggested funding come from federal land grants adjacent to the proposed line. To drum up public support, he travelled throughout the East Coast, meeting with state legislatures and holding mass gatherings. Some criticized his proposal, arguing that even if 2,000 miles of track could be constructed through the American wilderness, the line would be shut down half of the year due to winter weather. But the tempting commercial possibilities with Asia drew substantial support. With the backing of several state legislatures, Whitney approached Congress with a proposal. His idea drew significant attention, but the recent annexation of California, followed by the gold rush, pushed support towards a central route ending at San Francisco rather than the Columbia River. Having spent his fortune on the research and promotion of his northern railroad, Asa Whitney died broken-hearted and bankrupt.

But his dream endured. Josiah Perham of the People's Pacific Railroad Company initially hoped to secure a charter for the first transcontinental railroad following the central route to California. When that failed, Perham turned his attention to the northern route. He would not ask for federal subsidies in bonds. All he required was double the amount of land grants given to the first transcontinental railroad. With this, he was certain he could raise enough money to build the northern road. Perham's proposal drew the support of powerful Republican Congressman Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania. With Steven's leadership, Congress approved a bill chartering the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, naming Josiah Perham as one of its incorporators. On this date in 1864 President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill authorizing construction of the line, which stretched from Lake Superior to Puget Sound via northern Dakota Territory.

Dakota Datebook written by Christina Sunwall

Sources:

The Official Northern Pacific Railroad Guide St. Paul, MN: W. C. Riley, 1893.

Smalley, Eugene Virgil. History of the Northern Pacific Railroad New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1883.

"Transcontinental Railroad (American Experience): Asa Whitney and Early Plans for a Transcontinental Railroad ", PBS Online http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/peopleevents/e_early.html.