The Journal of Sean Sullivan- A Transcontinential Railway Worker

 by William Durbin

 

 

Introduction- Life in America in 1867

 After the Cvil War 

 

 The Oregon Trail

 

Google Earth Sean Sullivan's trail

Place a marker in these locations Omaha, NE, Antelope NE, Archer WY, Sherman Summit, WY, Laramie WY, Carbon WY, Rawlins WY, Granger, WY, Evanston WY, Castle Rock UT, Echo City UT, Ogden UT, Corrine UT, Promontory Summit UT

 

 

Part 1- Omaha, Nebraska 1867

Day 1 Vocabulary: fancy (11), muskrat (4), cowcatcher (6), derringer (10), scalp (3), station (3), chugged (3)

 

Open a NeoOffice document and type the vocab words. Using the novel and your online dictionary, write a definition of the word as it's used in context.

 

 

Day 2 Vocabulary: promotion (33), terrain (36), lonesome (23), dribbled (25), butchering (39), locusts (29)

Open a NeoOffice document and type the vocab words. Using the novel and your online dictionary, write a definition of the word as it's used in context.

 

Day 3 Vobabulary: heathens (45), stanched (49), speculation (51), smidgen (54), sod (62)

Open a NeoOffice document and type the vocab words. Using the novel and your online dictionary, write a definition of the word as it's used in context.

 

For Discusion 

Life aftr the Civil War

Westward Expansion

Boom Towns

The Union Railroad

 

Pick a Scene and Illustrate!

Choose a scene from the novel such as page 29, or page 42. Draw what is decribed.

 

Preview of the Final Assessment!

Respond to one of the following:

1. If the Transcontinental Railroad had never been built, in what specific ways would life in America be different today? 

2. Discuss two ways that the Transcontinental Railroad forever changed life in America.

 

Part 2- Wyoming (Mile 496)

Day 4 Vocabulary grading (75), stovepipe hat (81), maul (86), excursionist (87), fisticuffs (86), gruff (75)

 

 

Read to September 1

For Discussion

Mapping Activity

Use GoogleEarth and the handout of the map copied from page 181. Place a dot on the route for each Journal entry where Sean tells his location. (Hint: there is a total of 25 locations!)

 

Research

Write three biographical facts about these men that also relate to their work on their connection to the Transcontinental Railroad.

Buffalo Bill Cody

Brigham Young

General Casememt

 

Picture this: what did this area look like?

http://userpages.aug.com/bdobson/photos5.html

 

Part 3- Utah (Mile 966)

Vocabulary- from the Transcontinental Railroad video (PBS)

 swindle, manifest destiny, surveyor, civil engineer, Comstock Lode, bonds

 

For Discussion

Coolies, by Yin

Chinese Ameican contributions to the Transcontinental Railroad

http://cprr.org/Museum/Chinese.html

The Golden Spike Ceremony

http://cprr.org/Museum/Done!.html

http://www.pdvirtualgallery.com/baumanntext/golden_spike_ceremony.htm 

 

 

 

Part 4- And After...How the railroad changed America

For Discussion

How did the transcontinental railroad

 

Native Americans

 

Business

 

Communications

 

Labor Unions

 

 

 

Late papers not acceptable

 

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