Yes, they were. "From 1850-1871, the railroads received more than 175 million acres (71 million ha) of public land - an area more than one tenth of the whole U

Yes, they were. "From 1850-1871, the railroads received more than 175 million acres (71 million ha) of public land - an area more than one tenth of the whole United States and larger in area than Texas." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Railroad_Acts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Railroad_Acts