Lincoln and the transcontinental railroad

[L Verge]

(05-04-2019 11:26 PM)Christine Wrote:  We are gearing up to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the joining of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads at Promontory Point, Utah. I am hoping the ceremony gives due credit to Lincoln and his vision. I think the ceremonies and Tabernacle Choir concert will be available to see online. I was visiting with someone today about how the excitement about the railroad helped heal some of the divisions and sorrows of the Civil War by uniting the country and providing something else to focus on. I would love to hear your thoughts! I am also proud of the part my great great grandfather and his crew played in building it!

Christine - I think the remarkable history of American railroads has been forgotten over the past fifty years or so, and I am happy to hear that there will be celebrations during the anniversary. On a somewhat related note, Surratt House held an encampment of Buffalo Soldiers yesterday that was very well attended, and the history told and the exhibits the units brought were outstanding. Part of the history of Buffalo Soldiers is related to assisting the transcontinental railroad.

Unfortunately, on the day before, we had a somewhat hostile comment regarding our posting about the units being at our museum. Someone with Native American ties made a sarcastic remark that the Buffalo Soldiers should not boast about their treatment of the various tribes that they helped to eliminate in America's push westward. Another added to it by declaring that only the "palefaces" benefited from the treatment of blacks and Indians.

We have been trying to bring teachable moments to the visitors at Surratt House - not just regarding the Civil War era and the Lincoln assassination, but also in how events at one point in history affect generations decades later. This ongoing refusal to learn from the past and move on gets frustrating.