Grenville Dodge

[Abby Brown] As one of Council Bluffs, Iowa's most famous residents, Grenville Dodge was a big part of railroad history.

He joined the Union Army in the Civil War and eventually became a major general. He got to know some of America's most influential people, like Abraham Lincoln.

Before Lincoln was president, he met Dodge in Council Bluffs. Since Dodge had been educated and experienced as a civil engineer for railroad, he told Lincoln he had some ideas on where the railroad could be built to connect the tracks that already existed in the East with the rest of the western part of the country, which did not have railroad lines yet. Abraham Lincoln was very interested in this since he knew that creating a transcontinental railroad, which means a railroad that can go all the way across the United States, was important to the country's success.

Lincoln went on to become the 16th president of the United States. After the Civil War, Grenville Dodge left the military to become Union Pacific's chief engineer. Today, Dodge is known as the greatest railroad builder of all time. Can you guess why?

That's right. He helped figure out where to place the transcontinental railroad, just like he had discussed with Abraham Lincoln years before. Dodge's job was to help Union Pacific plan out the route that started in Council Bluffs and went west. He came up with solutions when there were obstacles in the way, like mountains and water. It took six years to get the job done.

Grenville Dodge built a mansion here in Council Bluffs, and it's still here. He made a fortune during his life and spent time in the political spotlight too.

But his biggest achievement will always be for his role as a railroad builder who helped design and develop the transcontinental railroad. It was completed in 1869 with big celebrations across the country. Telegraph lines were run along the railroad lines, so when the project was done, the United States could communicate from coast to coast. That was a very big deal.

The transcontinental railroad also meant that for the first time, instead of dedicating a whole month to traveling from New York to San Francisco, people could make the trip in just one week. Cargo of all sorts that had arrived by boat from all over the world could be transported across the country, too. It was an exciting time. After the final spike was hammered in to complete the transcontinental railroad, four special spikes made of gold and silver were presented at a celebration in Utah. Grenville Dodge was there. He was an important part of building a thousand miles of railroads, starting in Council Bluffs and going to the West Coast. Wow. Thanks for having fun investigating new discoveries in Iowa.

Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by The Coons Foundation, Pella and the Gilchrist Foundation.