It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and families are traveling together, riding America's brand new transcontinental railroad. The story comes alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean. Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails,...

Sixteen-year-old Tim Colter, his sister and friends have just survived a wagon train massacre. Now it is up to Tim, with the help of a legendary mountain man, to protect them as he attempts to build a new home.

"The Civil War tore a hole in the country, creating a wound that was almost impossible to heal. At a time when the two sides of the nation were still struggling to accept the war's casualties, something else came along to unite the country again. It was the Transcontinental Railroad- a line of train tracks stretching from one side of the war-torn country to the next"--P. [4] of cover.

"[T]he epic tale of the clash for supremacy between America's railroad titans"--

This program explains how the transcontinental railroad was built, and then how it opened up the West to European settlers and brought on the extermination of the buffalo and the defeat of Southern Plains Indian tribes. Viewers will witness the transformation through first-person accounts from Native Americans, European immigrants, Chinese laborers, buffalo hunters, homesteaders from the eastern U.S., and cowboys on the dusty trails leading from Texas....

"Covers the development of the Underground Railroad as a watershed event in U.S. history, influencing social, economic, and political policies that shaped the nation's future"--Provided by publisher.

"What do you know about the Underground Railroad? What if you lived in a different time and place? What would you wear? What would you eat? How would your daily life be different? Scholastic's If You Lived... series answers all of kids' most important questions about events in American history. With a question and answer format, kid-friendly artwork, and engaging information, this series is the perfect partner for the classroom and for history-loving...