Shannon Stirnweis (B. 1931) "Telegraph Line Construction" Signed lower right. Original Oil on painting Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting originally appeared in the Fleetwood Trails West Collection of Fine Art Prints as "Talking Wires Unite Nation" published in 1983. The advancement of Communication Systems that could carry messages across America's Great Plains came as quick as a whirlwind. First, stage lines carried mail from Missouri to the Pacific Coast in twenty-five days .. then the Pony Express cut the carrying time to nine days. Yet, even before this courier system was well established, telegraph lines were already crossing the vast plains and mountains of America. On June 16, 1980, Congress passed an act to "facilitate communications between the Atlantic and Pacific states by electric telegraph." The act specified the completion of the line by July 31, 1862. With thelegraph line already stretching as far west as Omaha, Nebraska, it was decided to begin construction at both ends and meet in Salt Lake City, Utah. When the great transcontinental line was begun in the spring of 1861, the builders of the western end were only four hundred miles from Salt Lake City. But the eastern section need to cross twice as many miles. Setting the first poles in place on July 2, 1861, the eastern crew thought it impossible to complete the awesome task by July 31, 1862. However, they worked at a frantic pace, and actually finished laying their telegraph wire to Salt Lake City four days before the western crew. Thus, transcontinental telegraphic communications became a reality a full nine months ahead of schedule on October 24, 1861. Image Size: 18 x 21 in. Overall Size: 22 x 24.75 in. Unframed. (B07253)