Frontier Transportation

 Horses * Stagecoaches * Wagon Trains * Railroads * Biographies * Railroad Museums * WaterWays

The Horse

Lots of information and links covering all aspects of the horse.
AmericanWest's Horse Page - this includes a great article about horses and Native Americans.
USA Horses - Horses Online
Kentucky Horse Park
THE place to get close to horses and home of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010(TM)!
AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION
The American Quarter Horse established a bold reputation as the greatest cattle roundup and trail driving horse in history and would never be forgotten by early American racing enthusiasts. To ensure the unique qualities of this breed did not perish, a group of American Quarter Horse enthusiasts met in 1940 in Ft. Worth, Texas to establish what was to become the largest equine breed registry in the world, the American Quarter Horse Association.
DallyPost - Search tool for equine professionals and horse enthusiasts; equine marketing.
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The Stagecoach

Stagecoach Lines and Pony Express Info - The American Western History Museum
The Wells Fargo Site
The Stagecoach Robbery Mystery
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The Wagon Train

Spartacus Educational - a great description of those old wagon trains. This includes more links to important information. Take a read!
1865 Wagon Train - This narrative was written by Ralph E. Milliken, as told him, by F.M. Watkins of Los Banos, California in 1935. Mr. Watkins' family started their trek to California from Iowa joining the Crow Wagon Train near Fort Laramie, Wyoming.
This is the only known accounting of the Crow wagon train. Because Mr. Watkins' narrative gives a graphic picture of the life of the emigrants who crossed the plains by wagon train in the early days, the whole text has been printed.
Direct correspondence pertaining to copyright to editor@mercedsun-star.com .
Henness Pass Wagon Train - During the California Gold Rush, Henness Pass was second only to the Placerville/Carson route in volume of passengers and freight traffic. This is a 'Living History' experience.
Mariposa Wagon Train - Horses snort, harnesses rattle, wheels creek and the Mariposa County Pioneer Wagon Train is rolling. 2007 marks the thirty-second anniversary of this annual journey. Every second weekend in June for more than 30 years, eager men, women, children, mules and horses have headed out on this 32-mile adventure beginning near the south entrance to Yosemite National Park.
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The Railroad Companies

Union Pacific Railroad Company
Check their detailed and excellent "Historical Overview" and their list of Railroad Museums and Photo Gallery!
A Brief History of the Transcontinental Railroad.
A brief history of the Transcontinental Railroad—and how it changed California

The connection of the transcontinental railroad was officially finalized with the Golden Spike at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869. Thus, for the first time, the railroads crossed the entire American continent!
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Model Railroading

Chris' Model Railroading Info - many links.
I hope to expand this section soon for those of you interested in creating models of the Old West era.
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Biographies - Famous Men of Transportation - (From PBS' THE WEST TV Series)

Charles Crocker (1822 - 1888)
Planned and managed the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad
Leland Stanford (1824 - 1893)
One of the "Big Four" that built California's Central Pacific Railroad
John Gibbon (1827 - 1896)
Army Commander guarding Union Pacific Railroad workers from Indian attacks
The Big Four (CA State Railroad Museum)
Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker and Mark Hopkins were instrumental in building the Central Pacific Railroad and developing California's railroad system in the years between 1861 and 1900.
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Railroad Museums

Links to railroad museums across North America! Pick a state.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum: Photographs, engravings, maps, and documents illustrating the history of the first transcontinental railroad.
California State Railroad Museum
National Railway Historical Society
Railroad Information Online
Golden Gate Railroad Museum
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Water-Crossing Vessels

Emigration from Donegal in the Mid 1800s - an advertisement for ships about to sail from the British Isles in the 1800's.
Trade Drives America's Foreign Policy in the Late 1800's - by Frank Beardsley
HistoryCentral tells of the development of transportation including shipping lanes and lines.
How did transportation impact America in the 18th-19th century? - Assembled by Peter Pappas
The Gold Rush Trail, an outdoor museum of San Francisco's Heritage
A prototype index to San Francisco History - three old b&w photos of San Fran; lots of pics and info alphabetized.
Oh, there is so much more to come!...
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