The Union Pacific (UP) traces its roots to 1848 with the first track laid for the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad. Significant milestones followed with the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862, which chartered both the Union Pacific and Central Pacific, and the laying of the first UP rails in Omaha in 1865.
In 1869, one of the most famous scenes in railroad history took place at Promontory, Utah. It was here that the Union Pacific and Central Pacific met, providing the United States with its first transcontinental rail link.
By 1884, the Oregon Short Line was completed, connecting the UP to the Pacific Northwest via the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company. The Union Pacific remains a vital presence in Tacoma today. For more information on its modern operations, visit our page on Tacoma's Local Railroads Today.
The Union Pacific Corporation and the Union Pacific Railroad maintain an excellent history page detailing their long legacy.
Visit the Union Pacific Historical Society (UPHS) for archives and membership info.
Or write to: UPHS, PO Box 4006, Cheyenne, WY 82003-4006
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The 1950s era UP shield is used with permission of Union Pacific.