Ch8 L1 From Stagecoach to Railroad

Ch8 L1 From Stagecoach to Railroad

pages 280-285

Introduction pg 281

Traveling by stagecoach was difficult. Read how a famous author wrote about his experience.

Early Transportation pg 281

Geography- It was important to get information cross country. What did the government do?

Accomplishments- Why was a stagecoach better than a wagon train?

Multiple Choice

Why was a stagecoach better than a wagon train?

• they were faster

• they were slower

• they held more people

Overland Mail Service pg 281

Accomplishments- What did a stagecoach carry? What made traveling by stagecoach difficult?

Social Structure- What group of people were hired as stagecoach drivers?

Multiple Select

Check ALL the things that a stagecoach would transport, or carry.

• crops

• letters

• newspapers

• people

Multiple Choice

What made stagecoach travel difficult?

• There was little water and many people got sick.

• Traveling was slow and the horses would run away.

• People were crowded and the dirt roads were rough

The Need for Speed, The Pony Express pg 282

Geography- Even though a stagecoach was fast, how long did it take for a letter to reach California?

Accomplishments- The Pony Express route reached across the United States. Why was that important? How did they get letters across the country so fast?

Multiple Choice

Why was the Pony Express important to the people of the United States?

• It helped farmers sell crops to other towns

• It helped people who were far apart to communicate faster.

• It moved horses to be sold across the country.

Multiple Choice

Why did people only send important mail through the Pony Express?

• It was expensive, cost a lot of money.

• Only the government could use it.

• The riders would read the mail

California Camels pg 282-283

Geography- What land region was hard to travel through?

Accomplishments- What animal did they use to move supplies through the desert? Did it work?

Multiple Choice

Why did the military try to use camels to carry supplies through the desert?

• Camels can find water in the desert for the soldiers to drink.

• Camels smell good in the hot dry desert.

• Camels can walk long distances and need little water.

Faster Communication, How the Telegraph Worked pg 284

Accomplishments- What new technology let people communicate within seconds? How did they send "Morse code"? What was needed to use the telegraph?

Multiple Select

What did the telegraph need to work? CHECK TWO

• horses and riders

• electricity and telegraph lines

• telegraph key and sounder

• Paper and telegraph door

Multiple Choice

The telegraph worked by sending electricity through a telegraph line in a pattern.

• True

• False

Railroad Dreams

pg 285

Geography- What land features did the train tracks have to cross?

Accomplishments- The railroads would allow people to travel from coast to coast. What problems did the workers have in laying down the train tracks?

Multiple Choice

What was the problem with building a railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountain range?

• Too many people lived on the mountains.

• People living there had to give permission

• Special railroad tracks had to be made by a blacksmith

• Many bridges and tunnels had to be made