<P> The Union Pacific reached the new railroad town of Cheyenne in December 1867, having laid about 270 miles (430 km) that year . They paused over the winter, preparing to push the track over Evans (Sherman's) pass . At 8,247 feet (2,514 m), Evans / Sherman's pass is the highest point reached on the transcontinental railroad . About 4 miles (6.4 km) beyond Evans / Sherman's pass, the railroad had to build an extensive bridge over the Dale Creek canyon (41.103803, − 105.454797, lat., long .). The Dale Creek Crossing was one of their more difficult railroad engineering challenges . Dale Creek Bridge was 650 - foot (200 m) long and 125 feet (38 m) above Dale Creek . The bridge components were pre-built of timber in Chicago, Illinois and then shipped on rail cars to Dale Creek for assembly . The eastern and western approaches to the bridge site, near the highest elevation on the transcontinental railroad, required cutting through granite for nearly a mile on each side . The initial Dale Creek bridge had a train speed limit of 4 miles (6.4 km) per hour across the bridge . Beyond Dale Creek, railroad construction paused at what became the town of Laramie, Wyoming to build a bridge across the Laramie River . </P> <P> Located 35 miles (56 km) from Evans pass, Union Pacific connected the new "railroad" town of Cheyenne to Denver and its Denver Pacific Railway and Telegraph Company railroad line in 1870 . Elevated 6,070 feet (1,850 m) above sea level, and sitting on the new Union Pacific route with a connection to Denver, Cheyenne was chosen to become a major railroad center and was equipped with extensive railroad yards, maintenance facilities and a Union Pacific presence . Its location made it a good base for helper locomotives to couple to trains with snowplows to help clear the tracks of snow or help haul heavy freight over Evans pass . The Union Pacific's junction with the Denver Railroad with its connection to Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri and the railroads east of the Missouri River again increased Cheyenne's importance as the junction of two major railroads . Cheyenne later became Wyoming's largest city and the capital of the new state of Wyoming . </P> <P> The railroad established many townships along the way: Fremont, Elkhorn, Grand Island, North Platte, Ogallala and Sidney as the railroad followed the Platte River across Nebraska territory . The railroad even dipped into what would become the new state of Colorado after crossing the North Platte River as it followed the South Platte River west into what would become Julesburg before turning northwest along Lodgepole Creek into Wyoming . In the Dakota Territory (Wyoming) the new towns of Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins (named for Union General John Aaron Rawlins, who camped in the locality in 1867 .), Green River and Evanston (named after James Evans) were established, as well as many more fuel and water stops . The Green River was crossed with a new bridge, and the new "railroad" town of Green River constructed there after the tracks reached the Green River on October 1, 1868--the last big river to cross . </P> <P> On December 4, 1868, the Union Pacific reached Evanston, having laid almost 360 miles (580 km) of track over the Green River and the Laramie Plains that year . By 1871, Evanston became a significant maintenance shop town equipped to carry out extensive repairs on the cars and steam locomotives . </P>

How much did the transcontinental railroad cost to build