by Nancy Moser
A telegraph wire was attached to the maul that would set the final spike. “It’s supposed to signal the final blows to both coasts,” Papa explained.
Then Stanford and Durant each swung at the spike, but laughter erupted as the men missed their mark. It seemed appropriate somehow.
Sitting close by, there was a frenzy as a telegraph operator tapped a message, then stood for an announcement. “The wire on the maul didn’t work, but I’ve sent word that we are D-O-N-E!”
The crowd erupted with cheers, and Papa lifted Nelly high into the air. Then the two locomotives—the Central Pacific’s “Jupiter” and the Union Pacific’s “119”—inched toward each other. Engineers from each locomotive stretched forward with bottles of champagne to christen the trains.
Josephine noticed Papa staring at the scene. She found her way under his arm and looked up at him. His eyes were brimming. “You did it,” she whispered.
He nodded. “The country has been forever changed.”
“And linked together.”
“It was President Lincoln’s dream,” he whispered. “I wish . . .”
Josephine leaned her head against his chest and watched the merriment. The mention of the president brought a flood of memories of the night of his assassination. The country had changed on that day too, the bitter culmination of a horrible Civil War. But now men from North and South, ex-slaves, and new immigrants from China and Europe had left their pasts behind and worked together to achieve this enormous task that defied logic and probability.
As Hudson came to join them, Josephine left her own past behind, and thought of another hopeful future.
“Papa?”
“Yes?”
“Can Hudson and I marry here? Today?”
She looked to Hudson and received his nod. “I agree,” he said. “I can think of no better day than this one.”
Papa smiled. “Nor can I. Let me find a preacher.”
When he walked away, Josephine was faced with the reality of her request. “We are going to be married. Now. Right now.”
Hudson laughed. “You were never one who liked waiting.”
Especially today. Especially when it came to becoming Hudson’s wife.
Josephine didn’t know more than a handful of the people gathered at sunset on the tenth day of May 1869. But even if she had personally invited each one to their wedding ceremony, she would not have been aware of their presence.
Her eyes were on Hudson, and his were on her.
Before the preacher began, she noticed dust on the shoulders of the man’s suit coat and mud underneath his fingernails. But his well-worn Bible was sign enough that he was a man worthy of the task.
“Do you, Josephine Genevieve Cain, take Hudson Lee Maguire to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.”
“I’m not done yet.”
There was a titter of laughter.
“Do you promise to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?”
She hesitated, not wanting to get it wrong again.
“Do you?” he repeated.
“I do!”
The preacher repeated the words for Hudson, who never took his eyes off of his bride. “I do too,” Hudson said.
“What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. And so, I am proud to pronounce you husband and wife.” He nodded to Hudson. “Go ahead, man, kiss your bride.”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
When his lips met hers, Josephine heard a cheer go up—or was it an angel chorus? For she felt as though God Himself approved of their union. For He had brought them together. It was the one fact that Josephine would forever embrace.
And then there was one other fact . . .
“I love you,” Hudson said as they walked arm-in-arm through the crowd.
“I love you too.”
This is indeed a great event of the world. It is one of the victories of peace—a victory grander than those of war, which leave in their track desolation, devastation, misery, and woe. It is a triumph of commerce—a triumph indicating free trade as a future law of our nation.
—THE REVEREND DR. VINTON, TRINITY CHURCH, NEW YORK CITY MAY 10, 1869
Author’s Note
Dear readers,
Thank you for coming along on the journey of Josephine Cain. She and I both appreciate your interest.
Even though I hail from Nebraska, I knew very little about the Transcontinental Railroad when I started—and only half of it when I finished. There’s so much to learn and too little time and too many pages to get it all read and included in the book. And I only covered part of the Union Pacific’s story heading west from Omaha, Nebraska. There’s a whole other set of circumstances and stories that belong to the Central Pacific heading east from Sacramento, California.
Many of the events in Josephine’s story actually happened. To name a few: General Cain was inspired by Union Brigadier General Jack Casement, who was hired to run the Union Pacific crews with his brother, Dan. Casement was responsible for inventing the unique bunk cars. The Indian visit where they had a tour and dinner on the train was true. As was the mock war dance and battle at the 100th Meridian celebration; Lewis’s memories of his friend Henry Smith’s execution; the influx of Mormons heading to Utah; the attacks on both sides of the Indian issue; the deaths of nearly two thousand in Wilmington, North Carolina, from Yellow Fever brought back from Bermuda by blockade runners; the lynching of “The Kid” and his outlaw gang in Laramie; as well as the condition of the Dale Creek bridge. And Hudson’s fellow bobbin-boy, Andrew, mentioned in chapter 21, was future billionaire and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, who worked in the Allegheny City cotton mills. Colonel Anderson, the book-lender, was real, and inspired Carnegie to construct 1,700 public libraries across the country so anyone could have access to books. One act of kindness led to so much good.
I tried to include as many facts as possible, but alas, there were many, many facts I had to leave out (or else you’d be reading a book of a thousand pages or more!). Plus, in order to have a proper romance I had to condense time. The actual time span for the building of the railroad from Omaha was June 1865 to May 1869. Rails were being laid in California as early as December 1863. Fremont and North Platte, Nebraska, were the towns the Union Pacific wintered in the first and second winters, Cheyenne was the spot where they hunkered down during the third winter, and they stayed at Evanston, Wyoming (on the Utah border), during the fourth winter. Laying 1,086 miles of track took nearly four years. Or should I say, only four years considering the hardships and challenges the crews encountered along the way.
How many men worked on the railroad? It’s hard to say, as men came and went. But it is known that Chinese immigrants were the prominent work force on the Central Pacific line heading east, while the major ethnic group working for the Union Pacific were Irish (like Hudson). Add men of every background, character, and ethnicity, and tens of thousands of men worked on the project. Many died along the way.
As for what came next? The following is paraphrased from a PBS timeline of the project: By 1880, the Pacific railroad carried $50 million worth of freight annually. It served as an artery for 200 million acres of settlement between the Mississippi and the Pacific. The Plains Indians were scattered to reservations, and a little over one thousand buffalo remained of the millions that once populated the grasslands. A trip between San Francisco and New York, which once might have occupied six grueling months, only took a few days.
Progress always comes at a high price. That price is what continues to capture my interest in all things historical. Those who came before us left everything they knew to take a chance on the unknown. Would I be so brave? I’m not sure.
If you’d like to do further research, there are many good resources. Here are a few: AMC has a very interesting, frank miniseries called Hell on Wheels that details the l
ife in the transient towns that followed the railroad. Season Three started last August (2013). Eugene Arundel Miller has three books that detail the construction in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Utah, which include ways for you to personally visit the sites along the railroad’s path. Empire Express by David Haward Bain has a very detailed account of all sides, and The Journal of Sean Sullivan by William Durbin is a fictional diary of one young worker. All the books provide many photographs and illustrations to help bring the history alive.
Like Josephine in this book, I pray that you enjoy the journey of your life, and recognize God’s plan along the way. May you find love, happiness, courage, a deeper faith, and your unique God-given purpose.
Blessings,
Nancy Moser
Discussion Questions
1. How was Josephine’s life changed by a world event—the assassination of President Lincoln? What world events have changed your life, and how?
2. Josephine desperately wanted to escape her family’s house of mourning. Was she being selfish or do you empathize with her? How do you think she should have treated the situation?
3. Would you have been the sort of person to want to go west? Would you go as a worker, a pioneer, a tradesman, a farmer, a soldier, or . . . ?
4. The nineteenth century was a time of immigration. Where did your family come from? When did they immigrate to the United States (or have they always been here)? Why did they leave their homeland? Did they thrive here?
5. In chapter 12, as Josephine is heading out to Cheyenne with Lewis, Frieda says, “The Almighty is very adept at getting people to the right place at the right time.” When have you experienced God getting you to the right place at the right time?
6. Josephine was impulsive, yet sometimes her impulses led her in the right direction. What do you think about her choice to take Nelly away from Miss Mandy’s? How would you have handled the situation?
7. What do you think about Josephine’s sudden choice to start a store out west? What nudges occurred that led her in this direction?
8. Do you think Josephine ever loved Lewis? Did he ever love her?
9. In chapter 24, “Josephine felt a surge of exhilaration at the possibilities that were within her grasp. Her future was not destined and designed by others, but would be molded and fashioned by herself.” Have you experienced such a crossroads in your life? What decision did you make as a result?
10. Josephine realizes that her journey has been mapped by God, and so she surrenders her future to Him. What moments in your life do you recognize as God-moments, leading you toward surrender and full trust in Him?
11. Because Josephine’s journey involved taking risks, the lives of Frieda, Nelly, and Aunt Bernice were forever changed. Are you a risk-taker? Whose lives have your risks affected—and how? If you aren’t a risk-taker, are there any instances in your life when you wished you would have been more courageous? How would your life have been different? How can you be courageous now?
12. Near the end of the book, Hudson talks to Josephine about grief: “From what I’ve seen, grief is personal. It’s not something you can plan or force. No one can tell you that it’s right, or enough, or too little. Let yourself grieve as you need to grieve, and forgive yourself the rest.” What have been your experiences with grief?
13. What do you think will happen to Josephine and Hudson? Nelly? Frieda? Aunt Bernice? Vera?
About the Author
NANCY MOSER is the best-selling author of more than twenty novels, including Christy Award–winner Time Lottery; finalist Washington’s Lady; and historical novels Mozart’s Sister, Just Jane, and Masquerade. Nancy has been married for thirty-eight years—to the same man. She and her husband have three grown children and four grandchildren, and they live in the Midwest. She’s been blessed with a varied life. She’s earned a degree in architecture; run a business with her husband; traveled extensively in Europe; and performed in various theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She paints canes, kills all her houseplants, and can wire an electrical fixture without getting shocked. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included.
WEB SITE: nancymoser.com
BLOGS: footnotesfromhistory.blogspot.com and authornancymoser.blogspot.com
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/nancymoser1 (Check out my boards! I have a board for The Journey of Josephine Cain that shows some of the real photographs and fashion pertaining to the story, as well as a board on 1860s fashion, History That Intrigues Me, and many others that involve history, fashion, and antiques.)
FACEBOOK AND TWITTER: facebook.com/nancymoser.author and twitter.com/MoserNancy