A Railroad Depot on the High Plains
In Cheyenne, Wyoming, a grand stone building stands near the railroad tracks. Its clock tower rises above a long row of arches and windows. This is the Cheyenne Union Pacific Depot, built in 1886 and 1887. More than a handsome building, it was a doorway between a growing city and a railroad that stretched across the country.
A town shaped by trains
Cheyenne began as a railroad town. In 1867, the Union Pacific Railroad reached the area as crews built tracks westward across the plains. Workers, merchants, and other newcomers gathered near the tracks. They needed places to sleep, eat, buy supplies, and do business. The settlement grew quickly, and Cheyenne became the capital of Wyoming Territory in 1869.
That same year, the Union Pacific met the Central Pacific Railroad in Utah. Together, their tracks formed the first transcontinental railroad, a rail route connecting the eastern United States with the West Coast. Travelers and goods could cross the country much faster than they could by wagon. Cheyenne became an important stop along this route.
The railroad brought growth, but its expansion also had serious costs. Railroad construction and settlement crossed lands where Native nations had lived and traveled for generations. These changes added to the pressure on Native peoples who were losing control of their homelands.
- merchants:
- People who buy and sell goods.
- settlement:
- A place where people establish a community.
- expansion:
- The act of growing or spreading into a larger area.
- architect:
- A person who designs buildings.
- sandstone:
- A type of rock made from grains of sand pressed together.
- livestock:
- Farm animals raised for food or other products.
- freight:
- Goods carried from one place to another.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How did the railroad help Cheyenne grow into a town?
- 2Why did Cheyenne become an important stop on the railroad?
Where this passage belongs
You Might Also Like
About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“A Railroad Depot on the High Plains” is a explanatory article reading passage about Railroad history, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (500 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.