[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 8, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S7185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRANSCONTINENTAL OVERLAND TELEGRAPH LINE

 Mr. LEE. Mr. President, on October 24, the Sons of Utah 
Pioneers celebrated the 150th anniversary of the final connecting of 
the Transcontinental Overland Telegraph Line in Salt Lake City, 
establishing the first coast-to-coast electronic communications system 
in American history.
  Much like the Transcontinental Railroad revolutionized transportation 
in this country, the Transcontinental Telegraph Line revolutionized 
communication. Sending messages from Washington, DC to California, 
which had previously taken weeks, took mere seconds after completion of 
the line.
  President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brigham 
Young sent the first message to President Abraham Lincoln, which 
confirmed that Utah was still loyal to the United States and not allied 
with the Confederacy. The line is credited with helping to ensure that 
most of the West sided with the Union in the Civil War.
  Congratulations to the citizens of Utah for marking the anniversary 
of an accomplishment that helped to hold this country together.

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