Cosmopolitan Railway
Encyclopedia
The Cosmopolitan Railway was a proposed global railroad network advocated by William Gilpin
, formerly the first territorial governor of Colorado (1861-62), in his 1890 treatise Cosmopolitan Railway: Compacting and Fusing Together All the World's Continents. Gilpin argued that such a network could break down barriers and bring the world's civilizations into harmony.
. The document also proposed a bridge to Asia across the Bering Strait
--a concept that has been dubbed the Intercontinental Peace Bridge
--which would have been, and still would be, an enormously important link between the Eurasian and African continents on the one hand and the North and South American continents on the other. However, the formidable expense and difficulty of building such a bridge, and of building thousands of miles of new railroad through remote portions of Siberia
, far northern North America, Africa
, and other areas, have kept the plan as nothing more than a vision.
Some aspects of Gilpin's Cosmopolitan Railway were realized half a century later when a global network of air travel
routes took shape, particularly since that new network was largely unencumbered by various geographical barriers, such as the Alaskan wilderness and the Bering Strait, that even in the mid twentieth century had not yet been overcome by shipping and railroad networks, continuing to render them incomplete. (It should be noted, though, that the effect of global air service, in its eight decades of existence, on bringing the world's civilizations into harmony has been no better than partial, if it has even had any overall effect.)
William Gilpin (governor)
William Gilpin was a 19th century U.S. explorer, politician, land speculator, and futurist writer about the American West. He served as military officer in the United States Army during several wars, accompanied John C. Frémont on his second expedition through the West, and was instrumental in the...
, formerly the first territorial governor of Colorado (1861-62), in his 1890 treatise Cosmopolitan Railway: Compacting and Fusing Together All the World's Continents. Gilpin argued that such a network could break down barriers and bring the world's civilizations into harmony.
Components
Cosmopolitan Railway was one of the earliest documents envisioning a land route to Alaska, a vision that would first be realized (though not in the form of a railroad) in 1942, with the completion of the crude original version of the Alaska HighwayAlaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
. The document also proposed a bridge to Asia across the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
--a concept that has been dubbed the Intercontinental Peace Bridge
Bering Strait Bridge
A Bering Strait crossing is a hypothetical bridge or tunnel spanning the relatively narrow and shallow Bering Strait between the Chukotka Peninsula in Russia and the Seward Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska...
--which would have been, and still would be, an enormously important link between the Eurasian and African continents on the one hand and the North and South American continents on the other. However, the formidable expense and difficulty of building such a bridge, and of building thousands of miles of new railroad through remote portions of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, far northern North America, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and other areas, have kept the plan as nothing more than a vision.
Some aspects of Gilpin's Cosmopolitan Railway were realized half a century later when a global network of air travel
Air travel
Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliding, parachuting or anything else that can sustain flight.-Domestic and international flights:...
routes took shape, particularly since that new network was largely unencumbered by various geographical barriers, such as the Alaskan wilderness and the Bering Strait, that even in the mid twentieth century had not yet been overcome by shipping and railroad networks, continuing to render them incomplete. (It should be noted, though, that the effect of global air service, in its eight decades of existence, on bringing the world's civilizations into harmony has been no better than partial, if it has even had any overall effect.)