Marli and Tyenna

When were the first railroads built?

The first railroads were built in 1862. The first one was from St. Paul to St. Anthony. It was ten miles long.

Where was the first railroad built? Why?

The first railroad was built going from St. Paul to St. Anthony. It was built because St. Paul and St. Anthony were the biggest 2 towns in MN and lots of people traveled there. Also, because then they can transport people from town to town in a faster way!

James J. Hill

James J. Hill was born on September 18, 1838. He owned steamships, coal mines, and iron mines. He decided to finish a track going from the Red River Valley into Canada because more people were settling in this area. He had a tight deadline and he beat it by a few days. They named it the " St. Paul, Mineapolis, Manitoba." His nickname was " Empire Builder" because of his hard work and determination towards the railroad business. James died on May 29, 1916.

Jay Cook

Jay Cooke was born on August 10, 1821. He had plans to build a railroad from Duluth to the Pacific Ocean. So he bought a lot of land in and around Duluth. After he began raising money for his dream railroad. He was going to name in the Northern Pacific Railroad. But in the 1870s a depression hit the country. It made banks and businesses go broke. His railroad lost all of its money and his dream did not come true. He died on February 16, 1905.

Pros and Cons of the railroads!

The pros of the railroads going up in Minnestota. One of the good things was that people could get from place to place a lot quicker. Lots more of the iron, lumber and flower were being produced because more people would buy it because it got to them quicker. There is also more jobs for people to have.

The cons of railroads going up in Minnesota! One of the cons was it took lots of money to get a railroad, another one was that there was less land for people to farm or live on.