AI: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Judah, Leland Stanford, and Grenville Dodge Compared: Transcontinental Railroad
“At the height of that war, with unity so much on his mind, President Lincoln sought a way to connect and secure the great expanse of our nation, to unite it entirely, from sea to shining sea.” — Summary of Lincoln’s mindset when signing the Pacific Railway Act in 1862.
“Everything he did from the time he left for California until his death was for the great Continental Pacific Railroad. It consumed his time, money, brain, strength, body, and soul. It was the burden of his thoughts day and night.” — Anna Judah, reflecting on her husband’s singular focus
“The last rail is laid! The last spike is driven. The Pacific Railroad is completed.” — Telegram sent by Leland Stanford, T. P. Durant, and others, May 10, 1869.
“He completely ‘shelled my woods,’ getting all the secrets that were later to go to my [railroad] employers.” — Grenville Dodge, recalling how Lincoln extracted every piece of knowledge he had on the western routes during their meeting in Council Bluffs, Iowa.