Americas Greatest Engineering Projects: The Construction History of the Transcontinental Railroad, the Panama Canal, and the Hoover Dam Audiobook Libro.fm

The Transcontinental Railroad laid across the United States during the 1860s remains the very epitome of contradiction On the one hand it was a triumph of engineering skills over thousands of miles of rough terrain but on the other hand it drained the natural resources in those places nearly dry It civilized the American West by making it easier for women and children to travel there but it dispossessed Native American civilizations that had lived there for generations It made the careers of many men and destroyed the lives from many others It was bold and careless ingenious and cruel gentle and violent and it enriched some and bankrupted others In short it was the best and worst of 19th century America in action