The Story of the First Trans-Continental Railroad: Its Projectors, Construction and History is the story of one of the greatest achievements in U S history. In 1803 President Jefferson asked Congress to make an appropriation “for sending an exploring party to trace the Missouri River to its source, to cross the highlands (i. e. Rocky Mountains) and follow the best route thence to the Pacific Ocean.” For the next few decades fur trappers and a few white men visited the area. In 1832 a Michigan newspaper was the first to suggest a Pacific railroad. In 1862, “The bill creating the Union Pacific Railroad was known as the “Curtis Bill” from its author, Congressman S. R. Curtis of Iowa. It carried the title of “An Act to aid in the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean and to secure to the United States Government, the use thereof for postal, military, and other purposes.”
