Show The Man Who Built BuiltA A Railroad to Utah We do not know how bow many UJ h know the Major General Grenville Gren- Gren yule vine M M. Dodge and of his contrib contribution tion to the development of the west west but but if they do not not- know of him it is time they did And a recent talk given by George GeorgeF F. F Ashby president of the Union Pacific railroad b before fore the NeY omen society in n New v York offers a splendid di opportunity opportunity opportunity to a acquaint qu int with Dodges Dodge's great achievement the achievement the location and construction con con- of the fhe Union Pae Pacific ic across the plains from Oma Omaha a to Promontory Point Utah where it t joined the Central Pacific in a connection n which gave the nation a transcontinental railroad General Genera Dodge was chief engineer on this historic project It was his bis responsibility responsibility responsibility to select a a route through a relatively relatively relatively rela rela- unknown country country country-a a route which years later was as one of the outstanding engineering achievements in inthe inthe inthe the nations nation's history It was his task too to push the building of the railroad railroad- through in the face of tremendous difficulties through through frontier country where there was no law and order fighting off hostile Indians surmounting staggering labor and transportation problems It was indeed a real achievement It greatly stimulated the development of Utah and the he entire west It cemented the nation firmly as one unified country stretching across a continent In his address Mr Ashby said that the name nane of General Dodge is indelibly written in the history of the great west Certainly that is true rue and the fact should be reco recognized by every westerner The coming of the railroad was as important important important im im- im- im an event in the development of the west as the explorations of Lewis and Clark as the travels of early trappers trap trap- pers and tr traders ders as the trek of the Mormon formon pioneers and as the discovery of gold in California It is proper that tribute be paid to the man who located and built the railroad from om Omaha to Utah Major General Grenville M. M Dodge |