This colorful and easy-to-read volume presents background of the Transcontinental railroad, including the increasing demand for land and the partnership between government and wealthy individuals. It tells the tale of how more than 1,700 miles of track were built through mountains and deserts by using mere shovels and picks. The book explains the impact of the railroad on the nation's settlement and how Native Americans lost their land to white homesteaders. Readers will learn about the technical challenges and huge scale of the task overcome by the hard labor of thousands of workers to connect the nation across itself.