American Experience: Transcontinental Railroad (Transcontinental Railroad Film Series: Images of the West)

Date
Mon May 6th 2019, 7:00 - 10:00pm
Event Sponsor
Continuing Studies, Stanford Historical Society
Location
CEMEX Auditorium, 641 Knight Way, Stanford
American Experience: Transcontinental Railroad (Transcontinental Railroad Film Series: Images of the West)

The events surrounding the building and completion of the Transcontinental Railroad are woven in the history and lore of the American West. Over the course of six weeks, the Stanford Historical Society will present a series of films, each introduced by historians, film scholars, and researchers, that will attempt to put these historical events in perspective. A discussion will follow each screening.

About the film:

American Experience: Transcontinental Railroad (2007) 105 minutes

The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad has been called the engineering marvel of the 19th century and a flat-out swindle; it opened new economies in the American West, while consuming vast quantities of its natural resources; it created one way of life on the Great Plains, and destroyed another. It is arguable that there would be no Stanford University if not for the fortunes made from the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. This episode of the PBS series American Experience will set the factual foundation for the film series.

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