The First Transcontinental Telegraph was a milestone in the formation of the United States. It served as the only method of near-instantaneous communication between the east and west coasts during the 1860s.

After development of efficient Electric Telegraph systems in the 1830s, their use saw almost explosive growth in the 1840s. Samuel Morse's first experimental line between Washington D.C. and Baltimore was first demonstrated on May 24, 1844. By 1850 there were lines covering most of the eastern states, and a separate network of lines were soon to be constructed in the booming economy of California. ... Portrait of Samuel F. B. Morse by Mathew Brady, between 1855 and 1865 Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor, and painter of portraits and historic scenes; he is most famous for inventing the electric telegraph and Morse code. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Flag Seal Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates , Government Country State County United... A California Gold Rush handbill A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold. ...

The state of California was also admitted to the United States in 1850, the first state not contiguous with the eastern government. Major efforts ensued to integrate California with the other states, including sea and overland mail and passenger service. Proposals for the subsidy of a telegraph line to California were made in Congress throughout the 1850's, but it was not until 1860 that the U.S. Post Office was authorized to spend $40,000 per year to build and maintain an overland line. The year before, the California State Legislature had authorized a similar subsidy of $6000 per year. This article is becoming very long. ... The Butterfield Stage, also known as Butterfield Overland Stage and Butterfield Overland Mail, was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. ... A USPS Truck at Night A U.S. Post Office sign The United States Postal Service (USPS) is the United States government organization responsible for providing postal service in the United States and is generally referred to as the post office. ...

The federal contract was awarded to Hiram Sibley, the president of the Western Union Company. He then formed a consortium between Western Union and the telegraph companies in California: to share the efforts of constructing the overland telegraph, to split up the federal and state subsidies, and to share any profits from operation of the line. The California companies would build the line eastward from Carson City (the eastern terminus of their lines), using the newly developed central route though Nevada and Utah. At the same time, Western Union would construct a line westward from Omaha, essentially using the eastern portion of the Oregon Trail. The lines would meet at a station in Salt Lake City. Hiram Sibley (1807-1888) was an industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist originally from Massachusetts, and later Rochester, New York. ... The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. ... Motto: Proud of its Past. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nickname: Gateway to the West Location in Nebraska Coordinates: Country United States State Nebraska County Douglas Founded 1854 Incorporated 1857 Mayor Michael Fahey Area    - City 307. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Salt Lake City redirects here. ...

Materiel for the line were collected in late 1860, and construction proceeded during the summer and fall of 1861. Major problems provisioning the construction teams were overcome, and there was a constant shortage of a source of telegraph poles in the plains of the Midwest and the deserts of the Great Basin. The line from Omaha reached Salt Lake City on October 18, 1861, and the line from Carson City was completed on October 24. Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... Drainage map showing the Great Basin in orange Various Definitions of the Great Basin (NPS) The Great Basin is a large, arid region of the western United States. ...

The telegraph line immediately made the Pony Express obsolete, which officially ceased operations just two days later. The overland telegraph line was operated until 1869, when it was replaced by a multi-line telegraph that had been constructed alongside the route of the Transcontinental Railroad. Pony Express statue in St. ... The official poster announcing the Pacific Railroads grand opening. ...

External Links and Sources

• Contemporary account of the construction of the transcontinental telegraph

• History of the first transcontinental telegraph