About this item

People today refer to the Midwestern and prairie states as flyover country. During the Civil War, crossing those areas was the biggest obstacle in uniting the East and West Coasts of our divided nation. An act of Congress in 1862 authorized the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific railroad companies to build a railroad that would link the coasts. Seven years later, on May 10, 1869, an overwhelmingly immigrant labor force completed the task when a rail line was join in Promontory, Utah. The states had become united at last.



About the Author

Budd Bailey

Budd Bailey graduated from Clarence Central High School in 1973 and from Syracuse University in 1977. However, he has been involved in communications even before that, as he was the editor of his junior high school newspaper. Budd worked at WEBR Radio from 1978 to 1986, covering events and hosting a talk show. In 1986, he began a stint in the public relations department of the Buffalo Sabres. And in 1993, Budd started to work in the sports department of The Buffalo News, where he had a variety of roles over the next 24 years. He won the Tom Borrelli Award as the National Lacrosse League's media personality of the year in 2011. Since retiring in 2017, Budd has worked as the columnist for BuffaloSportsPage.com. He's written 11 books as of 2019, including "This Day in Buffalo Sports History" - which is not available through amazon.com.



Read Next Recommendation

Report incorrect product information.