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| Landmark #412 | Box Elder County | Visited: July 25, 2015 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | The site of the completion ceremony of the first Transcontinental Railroad! |
| What makes it historical? | THE PLAQUE SAYS: “The last rail is laid, the spike is driven. The Pacific Railroad is completed.” Here at Promontory, Utah, at 12:47 PM, on May 10, 1869, the driving of a Golden Spike completed the first Transcontinental Railroad. Climax of a dramatic railroad-building race between the Union Pacific building from the east and the Central Pacific building from the west, this event symbolized attainment of a long sought goal: a direct transportation route to the Pacific Ocean and the China trade, and it achieved the great political objective of binding together by iron bonds the extremities of continental United States, a rail link from ocean to ocean.
OTHER TIDBITS: There is no understating the importance of this achievement! It fulfilled President Lincoln’s dream of unifying the country by rail and created the four standard time zones that we still use today! It also spelled the end of the American frontier and the lifestyle of the Plains Indians! The competition between the two railroad companies to build the most rails was fierce! The Union Pacific Railroad had the luxury to build across the Great Plains, while the Central Pacific Railroad had to blast through the Sierra Nevada Mountains straightaway! Not to be daunted, the Central Pacific Railroad vowed to lay 10 miles of track per day until it was completed, but that didn’t stop both sides from sending agents to tear up stretches of each other’s track! The companies didn’t actually meet at Promontory Point; they passed each other and agreed to backtrack to this spot! Four ceremonial spikes were prepared for the occasion: two golden spikes from San Francisco, a silver spike from Nevada, and a gold-and-silver spike from Arizona! They were gently tapped into place by CP President, Leland Stanford, and UP Vice President, Thomas Durant. When the applause died down, they were replaced by an ordinary iron spike, and both Mr. Stanford and Mr. Durant missed hitting the spike! So, an ordinary railroad worker truly completed the railroad, which I think is pretty fitting! The tracks here were torn up during World War II for use in war efforts and were never rebuilt on the exact same route, but you can still see the historic rail grades to this day and still travel across the whole country by rail if you like! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| How do I find it? | Listed Directions: East of Golden Spike Visitors Center Promontory, UT 84302 Annotations: From Beaver: ~284mi (458km) — 4.8hrs |
| When should I go? | The visitor center is open every day, except major holidays, from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM! |
Is there a tree without bark by this location?
Not so far as I’m aware!