Union Pacific Railroad construction, 1868 - 1869

Union Pacific's Chief Engineer Grenville Dodge wrote in his book How We Built the Union Pacific Railway, "Central Wyoming was desolate, dreary, not susceptible to cultivation and only portions of it fit for grazing." In winter, the cold was beyond belief. In warmer months, it was unimaginably hot. In the desert, the ambient temperature was around 110 degrees, while the temperature inside an engine cab topped out at 150 to 160 degrees.