Download or read book Until the Last Spike: The Journal of Sean Sullivan, a Transcontinental Railroad Worker, Nebraska and Points West, 1867 written by William Durbin and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2013-08-27 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Acclaimed author William Durbin's exciting JOURNAL OF SEAN SULLIVAN is back with a dynamic repackaging! It's August 1867 and Sean has just arrived from Chicago, planning to work with his father on the Intercontinental Railroad. Sean must start at the bottom, as a water carrier, toting barrels of it to the thirsty men who are doing the backbreaking work on the line. At night, everyone is usually too tired to do anything but sleep, yet Sundays are free, and Sean discovers the rough and rowdy world of the towns that seem to sprout up from nowhere along the railroad's path over the prairie. But prejudices run rampant for both the Irish and Chinese workers -- especially when they start a deadly race to see who can lay track the fastest. Through Sean's eyes, the history of this era and the magnitude of his and his fellow workers' achievements come alive.