In volume 25 of the Arrington Lecture Series, Richard White discusses the transcontinental railroad’s impact on Utah’s environment, culture, and political atmosphere. In the 150 years since the completion of the Pacific Railroad, there have been lasting implications across the West, including for the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settlers.
 
The Arrington Lecture series, established by one of the twentieth-century West's most distinguished historians, Leonard Arrington, has become a leading forum for prominent historians to address topics related to Mormon history. Utah State University hosts the Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture Series through the Merrill-Cazier Library Special Collections and Archives department.
 

Richard White is an historian of the United States specializing in the American West, the history of capitalism, environmental history, history and memory, and Native American history. He is a MacArthur Fellow and a recipient of the Mellon Distinguished Professor Award. His work has won numerous academic prizes and he has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.