Everybody had been talking about railroads, but this latest news was startling. A railroad was going to be built right across our country from East to West! Some people thought that in time it might even replace the overland stage-coach!

Brave men would be needed to put down the new railroad’s tracks, for it's route lay through hot deserts and over rugged mountains. Worse still, it would pass through the hunting grounds of Indians who were angered by the coming of the Iron Horse. Although the railroad was well planned, no one could imagine the terrible dangers that would face the tracklayers.

Adele Nathan, a student of the history of American railroads, has made of the workers’ adventures a lively and exciting tale. In this book she describes the colorful men who helped build the Transcontinental. Others who appear are President Lincoln, Theodore Dehone Judah, and Leland Stanford. Here too are the Tarriers and Crocker's Pets, racing across country with their rails, and fighting the mountains, the weather, the Indians, and each other.

This is an exciting story for everyone. It will be enjoyed by those who like trains; by those who like tales of our once wild West; and by those who delight in stories of adventure and brave men.

From the dust jacket