And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Ambrose has never disappointed me. The most recent Ambrose book that I've read is The Wright Brothers, which taught me far more about their lives, labors, efforts to sell their invention, their competitors and their post-Kittyhawk history, than I had ever previously learned or even suspected.
A good read. That caused me to visit the Golden Spike National Historical Park in Promontory Utah last week on the way home from from a 4700 motorcycle trip. I LOVE history.
I asked who drove The Golden Spike. No answer. When on an Euporean vacation, his 15 year old son died. Came back through Boston. Asked for an appointment with Harvard's Prez, "So, how much $$$ could I spend to re-name Harvard after me?"
Answer, "10MM but that's not possible." Oh, that person gave an alias.
The driver of The Golden Spike, Leland Stanford, Sr., President of the Union Pacific, came back to SF and created The Leland Stanford, Jr. University.
And think about it, most of those railroad workers were recent immigrants ... (and I might I add that most of them were LEGAL immigrants). They arrived penniless, went to work, earned a living on their own with no government assistance.
I just checked my copy of the book for the ten mile day. It's on pages 346 to 352 of the hardbound edition.
Regarding that day- "Everyone was excited, ready to go to work, eager to show what he could do. Even the Chinese, usually methodical and a bit scornful of the American way of doing things, were stirred to a fever pitch. They and all the others. They had come together at this desolate place in the middle of Western North Amecia to do what had never been done before them."
BTW, Charles Crocker (CP) bet Thomas Durant (UP) $10,000 they could do it. Durant thought it couldn't be done and took the bet.
This version says - "Crocker declared his men would lay ten miles of rail in a day. Such a ridiculous thing was scoffed at in the rival camps, which were now drawing close together. The story is told that Vice President Durant of the Union Pacific bet $10,000 that it could not be done, and that his money was 'covered'."
You almost need a poster board and marker to draw out and understand the financing of that. Creative accounting at its finest. Excellent read though. Right after I read it I was in San Francisco and noticed all sorts of reminders of that era in the names and places.
I just binged on the AMC series Hell on Wheels. Highly recommended Western about the building of the rails. Great performances, historic accuracy, many of the characters were real people. Visual feast and a great way to pass the winter when it comes.
Ambrose has never disappointed me.
ReplyDeleteThe most recent Ambrose book that I've read is The Wright Brothers, which taught me far more about their lives, labors, efforts to sell their invention, their competitors and their post-Kittyhawk history, than I had ever previously learned or even suspected.
His searchers do fine work
DeleteI just looked for that on Amazon. Are you sure about Anbrose being the author?
DeleteDavid McCullough wrote The Wright Brothers. Excellent read.
DeleteMatthew W-
DeleteIf I remember right, his children are his researchers.
Elmo
DeleteHis kids were some of his researchers.
Read McCullough's "1776" 15 years ago. Excellent also.
DeleteHistory Q: Who drove The Golden Spike?
ReplyDeleteQ-Anon of course!
DeleteI did read this years ago. It is an excellent book!
ReplyDeleteA good read. That caused me to visit the Golden Spike National Historical Park in Promontory Utah last week on the way home from from a 4700 motorcycle trip. I LOVE history.
ReplyDeleteAnd that of course was 4700 MILES.
Deletelukky dawg
Deletethat's on my bucket list - on a brand new goldwing
Great book. It will teach you the origin of the expression "Hell on wheels".
ReplyDeleteI asked who drove The Golden Spike. No answer. When on an Euporean vacation, his 15 year old son died. Came back through Boston. Asked for an appointment with Harvard's Prez, "So, how much $$$ could I spend to re-name Harvard after me?"
ReplyDeleteAnswer, "10MM but that's not possible." Oh, that person gave an alias.
The driver of The Golden Spike, Leland Stanford, Sr., President of the Union Pacific, came back to SF and created The Leland Stanford, Jr. University.
"Nuff sed."
And think about it, most of those railroad workers were recent immigrants ... (and I might I add that most of them were LEGAL immigrants). They arrived penniless, went to work, earned a living on their own with no government assistance.
ReplyDeleteThere's always gotta be one....
DeleteOne what?
DeleteI have sometimes made my engineering students read this. One of the few books where the engineers are the heroes.
ReplyDeleteSpin Drift
War Eagle
And then they threw away a continent because opposing the invasion wasn't "nice".
ReplyDeleteHaven't read the book yet, but imagine this is in there, 10 miles of track laid in one day--
ReplyDeletehttps://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/history/making-tracks-part-2/
As a young lad, I grew up in the gold rush town of Fiddletown, CA. At one time, it had the largest Chinese population in the state.
I just checked my copy of the book for the ten mile day. It's on pages 346 to 352 of the hardbound edition.
DeleteRegarding that day-
"Everyone was excited, ready to go to work, eager to show what he could do. Even the Chinese, usually methodical and a bit scornful of the American way of doing things, were stirred to a fever pitch. They and all the others. They had come together at this desolate place in the middle of Western North Amecia to do what had never been done before them."
BTW, Charles Crocker (CP) bet Thomas Durant (UP) $10,000 they could do it. Durant thought it couldn't be done and took the bet.
This version says -
Delete"Crocker declared his men would lay ten miles of rail in a day. Such a ridiculous thing was scoffed at in the rival camps, which were now drawing close together. The story is told that Vice President Durant of the Union Pacific bet $10,000 that it could not be done, and that his money was 'covered'."
http://cprr.org/Museum/Southern_Pacific_Bulletin/Ten_Mile_Day.html
You almost need a poster board and marker to draw out and understand the financing of that. Creative accounting at its finest. Excellent read though. Right after I read it I was in San Francisco and noticed all sorts of reminders of that era in the names and places.
ReplyDeleteI just binged on the AMC series Hell on Wheels. Highly recommended Western about the building of the rails. Great performances, historic accuracy, many of the characters were real people. Visual feast and a great way to pass the winter when it comes.
ReplyDelete