Cayuga Professor Featured in Episode on the History Channel

A Cayuga Community College professor was recently featured discussing historic railroad magnate Thomas Durant in an episode of the History Channel’s “The Engineering That Built the World.”

Professor Sheila Myers, who has written three novels focused on Durant, his family and their historic role building the Transcontinental Railroad, was featured in the episode titled “Race for the Railroad.” The episode premiered October 10, and will re-air Sunday, October 17, at 8 p.m. on the History Channel.

“This was an exciting opportunity to speak with the History Channel and be a small part of this series and discuss Thomas Durant and the Transcontinental Railroad,” said Myers. “I think this is an entertaining, informative way to learn more about someone who had personal and professional shortcomings but was an important figure in that era of American history.”

The series focuses on famous structures and engineering accomplishments across the world, with stops along the way for the Statue of Liberty, the Panama Canal and the Golden Gate Bridge. It also captures the personal stories of the individuals and rivals involved in completing the structures.

The “Race for the Railroad” episode featuring Myers focuses on the Transcontinental Railroad and tells the story of Thomas Durant and the Union Pacific Railroad and Charles Crocker of the Central Pacific Railroad.

“We focused on his motivation for building the railroad, and how he used it as a platform to enrich himself and his family,” said Myers. “His story is complicated, because it includes so many accomplishments but also personal and ethical problems.”

Myers has researched the Durant family for the better part of a decade, and was initially drawn to them for their connections to the Adirondacks before expanding her focus to include their role in the growth of the railroad industry.

She published the first novel in her trilogy, “Imaginary Brightness,” in 2015, published “Castles in the Air” in 2016 and completed the trilogy in 2017 with “The Night is Done.” She received the 2017 Best Book of Fiction Literary Award from the Adirondack Center for Writing for “The Night is Done.”

For more information on the series, visit https://www.history.com/shows/the-engineering-that-built-the-world.