The Pacific Railway Acts were passed by the United States Congress in 1862 and 1864. The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ...

The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 gave land grants in the Western United States to the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad (later the Southern Pacific Railroad) to construct a transcontinental railroad. The act granted 10 square miles (26 km²) of public land on each side of the tracks, every other section (square mile), for every mile laid. 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This article deals with the western United States. ... The Union Pacific Railroad NYSE: UNP is the largest railroad in the United States. ... External link Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum Categories: Corporation stubs | Historical stubs | Defunct railroad companies of the United States | California railroads | Nevada railroads | Utah railroads | Historic civil engineering landmarks ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark SP) was an American railroad. ... A transcontinental railroad is a railway that crosses a continent, typically from sea to sea. Terminals are at or connected to different Oceans. ... track Railroad or railway tracks are used on railways, which, together with railroad switches (points), guide trains without the need for steering. ...

From 1850-1871, the railroads received more than 175 million acres of public land-an area more than one tenth of the whole United States and larger than Texas.

Railroad expansion provided new avenues of migration into the American interior. The railroads sold portions of their land to arriving settlers at a handsome profit. Lands closest to the tracks drew the highest prices, because farmers and ranchers wanted to locate near railway stations.

See also

• First Transcontinental Railroad