Abstract
The railroad impacted the course of this nation in a major way. By allowing the easier and often safer transportation of goods and people across the county, the national economy grew rapidly. Raw materials from places like the Pacific Northwest were sent east. Regional cities and towns began to use goods from all over the world, not just ones produced locally. Due to this, railroad towns grew and began to prosper. Sandpoint, Idaho is an example of such a town. This study traces the history of Sandpoint and the impact that the railroad had on it from the time surveyors for the Northern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1880 until 1935.