"Hell on Wheels" Series and History Quiz

Answer: Fiction

The real Thomas Durant (1820-1885) was a financial wizard - or Robber Baron - and an experienced civil engineer. He also held a doctorate, though in medicine, not engineering. He was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1870.

In the series, Durant is portrayed as ruthless (plausible), clueless about engineering issues (dubious), clean-shaven (definitely wrong), and a murderer (defamatory).

Answer: No - it's completely wrong

The most famous and effective Chief Engineer of the UP was Grenville Dodge (1831-1916). Dodge had a degree in Civil Engineering. He volunteered for the Union Army in the Civil War, rising to the rank of Major General. Dodge was a staunch Union man, actively recruiting African-American soldiers. In 1866, Dodge resigned from the Army to become the UP's Chief Engineer. After his railroading days, Dodge continued to be active in public service.

Grenville Dodge does not appear in the series. His background and career differ dramatically from the fictional Cullen Bohannon.

Answer: Yes

"Hell on Wheels" described the itinerant gamblers, prostitutes, tradesmen and saloon-keepers who followed the Union Pacific's progress westward. Tents and ramshackle structures sprang up to service the needs of railroad workers, and were moved or abandoned later. Due to the slow pace of construction, the "wheels" used by these camp-followers were wagon wheels rather than railroad wheels.

The series portrays this process, although the railroad workers usually lived in dormitory cars on the tracks rather than in tents. The use of railroad cars avoided the need to build and dismantle worker housing along the route.

Answer: Some - most workers were Irishmen, Germans and Cornish miners

The UP had an easier time hiring railroad workers because the UP was working westward from "civilization." Most of the UP's line workers were white Union Army veterans, with a high proportion of Irish-Americans, and relatively few African-Americans.

The Central Pacific was working east from California where labor was scarce. During the Civil War, the CP tried but failed to hire freed African-Americans, and even petitioned Congress to ship Confederate prisoners to California. The CP ultimately hired thousands of Chinese immigrants, who comprised up to 80% of its workforce.

Answer: Yes

In the early to mid 19th century, the choice between wood and coal fuel for locomotives was largely a matter of availability and cost. In the United States, wood was the fuel of choice in the 1860s, especially in building the transcontinental railroad. Trees were usually available locally, but coal would have to be shipped from remote mines.

In Britain and most of Continental Europe, coal was the preferred fuel due to its availability, lower cost and higher efficiency.

Answer: Fiction

The closest historical analogue to the fictional Lilly Bell's husband was Peter A. Dey (1825-1911), who surveyed the route of the Union Pacific from 1863 to 1865. Dey was also the line's Chief Engineer for a brief period. He quit because he disapproved of Thomas Durant's business dealings - one of the few insiders who didn't profit by Durant's manipulations.

There is no record of any female surveyor or engineer working on the UP.

Answer: Yes

John Allen Campbell (1835-1880) was appointed first Governor of the Wyoming Territory by President Grant in April of 1869, and again in 1873. From there, Hell on Wheels and history diverge.

In fact, the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific linked up at Promontory, Utah in May of 1869, about one month after Campbell took office as Governor.

In Season Four of the series, the UP is still near Cheyenne, Wyoming, which the railroad actually reached in 1867. At that time, Campbell would not have been Governor and Grant would not have been President.

The real Governor Campbell was fairly progressive and popular, making Wyoming the first jurisdiction in the U.S. to grant the vote to women. He had no known disputes with Thomas Durant.

Answer: Some - but mostly for the Union Pacific

Doc Durant of the Union Pacific saw LDS workers as diligent, reliable and well-behaved. Brigham Young hoped for an economic boon to offset disappointing harvests. Ultimately, the UP obtained more workers than the CP, and neither railroad provided the promised economic benefits to the Mormon community.

This so outraged Brigham Young that he refused to attend the ceremonial completion of the railroad in 1869.

Answer: Yes

The 8,000+ foot high Shermans Peak lies between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming. Cheyenne itself was established near the point where the Union Pacific crossed Dale Creek - via a bridge 150 feet above the creek. The bridge approaches were cut through solid granite.

The eastern approach to the bridge included the highest point on the entire UP line, over 8,000 feet above sea level. The rail line was relocated later, but a monument still marks the spot.

HOW and history diverge, though. The original bridge and cuts were completed in 1868, whereas the series portrays the events as occurring much later.

Answer: Oliver Ames

Although the historical Thomas Durant was a major figure in the UP, he was never the company's President. The Ames family was at least as involved as Durant, and their financial machinations equaled his.

The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 created the UP and the Central Pacific, but by 1865 the UP had laid only about 12 miles of track. Abraham Lincoln asked Massachusetts Congressman Oakes Ames to take over control of the UP. Oakes Ames obtained numerous construction contracts for family-owned firms. The contracts were transferred to the Credit Mobilier Company of America - but only after Ames took control of Credit Mobilier away from Durant. In 1866, Oakes Ames installed his brother Oliver Ames as President of the UP. Durant fought back, regaining a position on the company's executive committee in 1867. Nevertheless, both Credit Mobilier and the UP were headed by the Ames brothers through and after completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.

Oakes Ames appears briefly in a few episodes of the series; his brother Oliver not at all.