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Docuseries on transcon

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#21

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OMG Devon what did you get us into? SPOILER ALERT!

Arriving at end of season 5 and suddenly I thought Prof. Sinsley will probably post a quiz on which character is the most hysterically accurate… So my vote goes with…

Thor Gunderson: the most resilient man in the west. Survivived tar & feathering, being hung, shot and drowned.

AKA: The Swede, The White Spirit, Joseph Dutson, Brother Thor/Gundersen :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Positions held: musician (gifted harmonica player), a god in the Sioux Indian tribe, worked for both railways and infiltrated the Mormon church as a bishop.

Rumours: He was divorced. Wife reportedly ran off with a gypsy and he was more upset that she took their cuckoo clock than with her leaving him. He doesn’t have a Wikipedia page because he lost the will to die.

Thanks for sharing this program!

#22

Remember when we were all shocked and surprised that the D&S were converting to burning oil?

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#23

Sorry to lead you down such a rabbit hole Bill.

My vote goes to Thomas Durant. I imagine his character to be exactly what these early RR tycoons were like.

#24

It was a real rabbit hole.
Wikipedia has quite a bit on everybody. (Except Thor Gundersen who still lives)

And you’re so right. They did Thomas Durant fairly accurately but he died with $2M rather than as a pauper.

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You might enjoy this short read…The Real People of Hell on Wheels

#25

that link takes me to another thread on this forum.

#26

That was weird. I hadn’t been on that page either. I’ve done an edit to correct.