TEN MILE DAY
And the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad
by Mary Ann Fraser & illustrated by Mary Ann Fraser
In the context of building the entire Transcontinental Railroad, a detailed account of April 28, 1869, when—as the result of a $10,000 wager—Central Pacific crews laid a record- setting ten miles of track. In her well-researched text, Fraser incorporates fascinating detail concerning building methods, engineering challenges, and the people involved, while honestly addressing the prejudice faced by Chinese laborers and acknowledging the railroad's role in ending Native Americans' way of life. Making good use of the broad picture-book format, her realistic earth-tone paintings convey the action and a sense of the vastness of the scene and the enormity of the task; endpapers add a map and glossary. An attractive resource. Concluding note; bibliography. (Nonfiction. 8-10)