The Pacific Railway Act<span> was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 1,</span>1862<span>. This </span>act<span> provided Federal government support for the building of the first transcontinental </span>railroad<span>, which was completed on May 10, 1869.</span>
<em />It was a watershed event because it showed that the local culture and local people were done with being treated in a bad manner and that they will not allow for their culture to end. Their culture started getting incorporated in mainstream culture afterwards and this can be seen up to this day.<em>
</em>
