Between July 4 and October 24, 1861, the Western Union Telegraph Co. constructed a telegraph line between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, completing the first high speed communication link between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The service met a critical demand for fast communication between those regions and operated until May, 1869, when it was replaced by a multi-wire system built with the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad lines. The transcontinental telegraph reached Fort Laramie from the east on August 5, 1861, and from then until May, 1869, Fort Laramie was a major station on the line. Soldiers from Fort Laramie protected the line, made repairs, and operated repeater stations from Julesburg, Colorado, 150 miles to the east, to South Pass, Wyoming, 300 miles to the west.