The American Experience: The Iron Road - The Story of America's First Transcontinental Railroad

The Iron Road chronicles America's race to unite East and West by rail. The completion of the first transcontinental railroad at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, marked a turning point in the settlement of the American West and stands as one of the most extraordinary engineering feats the country has ever known. The Union Pacific built from the East, while the Central Pacific worked from the West. The Iron Road recounts the six years of harsh labor, searing heat, Indian attacks, and frontier lawlessness these railroad men endured to complete this visonary enterprise. Author and historian David McCullough hosts this award-winning documentary from the PBS series The American Experience.