TheGritAge
May 10, 1869 · Promontory Summit

Built by hand. Remembered forever.

Untold true stories of the bridges, rails, canals and dams that American hands raised long before modern machines.

Fig. 1 — Steel truss under construction
Featured Investigation

The Men Who Cut the Mountain

Before dynamite was routine, crews drove a railway tunnel through solid granite with hand drills, black powder and sheer stubbornness. This is how they did it.

By The Editors · 14 min read · Tunnels
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