Golden Spike — Promontory Summit
Promontory, Box Elder County, Utah
Marker Inscription
Here, May 10, 1869, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads met, completing the first transcontinental railroad with the driving of a golden spike.
Erected by National Park Service
The Story
Two railroads — one built east from California largely by Chinese laborers, the other west across the plains — joined rails at Promontory. The country could now be crossed in days instead of months.
Why it matters
The transcontinental railroad bound the nation together and opened the West to mass settlement and commerce.
Related events
- · First Transcontinental Railroad
Themes & tags
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