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This article is about railroad construction. For information on "golden spikes" in geology, see Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point. A Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point, abbreviated GSSP, is an internationally agreed upon stratigraphic section which serves as the reference section for
The meeting of the lines on May 10, 1869
The meeting of the lines on May 10, 1869

A "golden spike" was the last, ceremonial spike driven specifically to mark the completion of a railroad line. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year In Rail terminology, a spike is a large nail with an offset head that is used to secure rails or Fishplates (or baseplates to ties in the track The practice originated with the First Transcontinental Railroad, when Leland Stanford officially joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah. This article refers to a railroad built in the United States between Omaha and Sacramento completed in 1869 Amasa Leland Stanford ( March 9, 1824 June 21, 1893) was an American Tycoon, Politician and founder of The Central Pacific Railroad was the California-to-Utah portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Promontory is a location in Box Elder County, Utah, United States, centered approximately at, at an Elevation of 1494 meters (4902

Contents

History

Ex-Virginia and Truckee Railroad No. 119, a 4-4-0 steam locomotive, rides atop a Union Pacific Railroad flatcar as it stops in Ogden, Utah on May 9, 1969 just prior to the 100th anniversary of the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad.
Ex-Virginia and Truckee Railroad No. The Virginia and Truckee Railroad was built to serve the Silver mining communities of Nevada. 119, a 4-4-0 steam locomotive, rides atop a Union Pacific Railroad flatcar as it stops in Ogden, Utah on May 9, 1969 just prior to the 100th anniversary of the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Ogden is a city in and the County seat of Weber County, Utah, United States. Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
The Jupiter leads the train that carried Leland Stanford, one of the "Big Four" owners of the Central Pacific Railroad, and other railway officials to the Golden Spike Ceremony.
The Jupiter leads the train that carried Leland Stanford, one of the "Big Four" owners of the Central Pacific Railroad, and other railway officials to the Golden Spike Ceremony.
The current site of the Golden Spike National Historic Site, with replicas of No. 119 and the Jupiter facing each other to re-enact the driving of the Golden Spike.
The current site of the Golden Spike National Historic Site, with replicas of No. 119 and the Jupiter facing each other to re-enact the driving of the Golden Spike.

Completing the last link in the First Transcontinental Railroad with a spike of gold was the brainchild of David Hewes, a San Francisco financier and contractor. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The spike had been manufactured earlier that year especially for the event by the William T. Garratt Foundry in San Francisco. Two of the sides were engraved with the names of the railroad officers and directors. A special tie of polished California laurel was chosen to complete the line where the spike would be driven. A railroad tie, cross tie, or railway sleeper is a rectangular object used as a base for Railroad tracks. Umbellularia californica is a Tree native to coastal forests of western North America. The ceremony was originally to be held on May 8, but it was postponed two days because of bad weather and a labor dispute that delayed the arrival of the Union Pacific side of the rail line. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen At first sight they missed the spot where it was suppose to be.

On May 10, in anticipation of the ceremony, Union Pacific No. 119 and Central Pacific No. The No 119 was a 4-4-0 steam locomotive which made history as one of the two locomotives (the other being the Jupiter) to meet at Promontory Summit 60 (better known as the Jupiter) locomotives were drawn up face-to-face on Promontory Summit, separated only by the width of a single tie. The Jupiter (officially known as Central Pacific #60 was a 4-4-0 steam locomotive which made history as one of the two locomotives (the other being the Union It is unknown how many people attended the event, estimates run from as low as 500 to as many as 3,000 government and railroad officials and track workers were present to witness the event.

Before the last spike was driven, three other commemorative spikes, presented on behalf of the other three members of the Central Pacific's Big Four who did not attend the ceremony, had been driven in the pre-bored laurel tie:

The golden spike was made of 17. 6-karat(73%) copper-alloyed gold, and weighed 14. The KARAT (abbreviation "K" or 'Kt' or "KP" for Karat Plumb is a measure of the Purity of Gold Alloys. 03 troy ounces (436 g). It was dropped into a pre-drilled hole in the laurel ceremonial last tie, and gently tapped into place with a silver ceremonial spike maul. The spike was engraved on all four sides:

A second golden spike, exactly like the one from the ceremony, was cast and engraved at the same time. It was held, unknown to the public, by the Hewes family until 2005. This second spike is now on permanent display at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento[1].

With the locomotives drawn so near, the crowd pressed so closely around Stanford and the other railroad officials that the ceremony became somewhat disorganized, leading to varying accounts of the actual events. Contrary to the myth that the Central Pacific's Chinese laborers were specifically excluded from the festivities, A. J. Russell stereoview #539 shows the "Chinese at Laying Last Rail UPRR. " (Eight Chinese laid the last rail, and three of these men, Ging Cui, Wong Fook, and Lee Shao, lived long enough to also participate in the 50th anniversary parade. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Chinese participating were honored and cheered by the CPRR officials. ) To drive the final spike, Stanford lifted a silver spike maul and drove the spike into the tie, completing the line.

Immediately afterwards, the golden spike and the laurel tie were removed and replaced with a regular iron spike and normal tie. At exactly 12:47 p. m. , the last iron spike was driven, finally completing the line. Stanford and Hewes missed the spike, but the single word "done" was nevertheless flashed by telegraph around the country. In the United States, the event has come to be considered one of the first nationwide media events.

After the ceremony, the Golden Spike was donated to the Stanford Museum (now Cantor Arts Center) in 1898. The Iris & B Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University, formerly the Stanford University Museum of Art is an Art museum on the campus of Stanford The Iris & B Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University, formerly the Stanford University Museum of Art is an Art museum on the campus of Stanford The last laurel tie was destroyed in the fires caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Aftermath

The Utah state quarter design.
The Utah state quarter design.
CP # 60
CP # 60
UP # 119
UP # 119

Although the Promontory event marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad line, it did not actually mark the completion of a seamless coast-to-coast rail network. The Jupiter (officially known as Central Pacific #60 was a 4-4-0 steam locomotive which made history as one of the two locomotives (the other being the Union The No 119 was a 4-4-0 steam locomotive which made history as one of the two locomotives (the other being the Jupiter) to meet at Promontory Summit Because no railroad bridge yet existed over the Missouri River between Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska, passengers were required to cross the river by boat until 1872, when a bridge was built across the Missouri River. Council Bluffs is a city in and the County seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River The Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge is a rail Truss bridge across the Missouri River connecting Council Bluffs Iowa with Omaha Nebraska In the meantime, the coast-to-coast rail link was completed in August 1870 in Strasburg, Colorado by the completion of the Denver extension of the Kansas Pacific Railway. Strasburg is a Census-designated place (CDP in Adams County and Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States The Kansas Pacific Railway ( KP) was a historic railroad company that operated in the western United States in the late 19th century

In 1939, following the premiere of the Cecil B. De Mille motion picture Union Pacific in Omaha and Council Bluffs a gold-colored concrete spike 56 feet (17 m) in height was unveiled on 9th Avenue in Council Bluffs on the approximate location of milepost 0. Cecil Blount DeMille ( August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director Union Pacific is a 1939 film about the building of the Railroad across the American West. 0 of the First Transcontinental Railroad. This article refers to a railroad built in the United States between Omaha and Sacramento completed in 1869

In 1942, the old rails over Promontory Summit were salvaged for the war effort; the event was marked by a ceremonial "undriving" of the last iron spike. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The original event had been all but forgotten except by local residents, who erected a commemorative marker in 1943. The years after the war saw a revival of interest in the event; the first re-enactment was staged in 1948.

In 1957, Congress established the Golden Spike National Historic Site to preserve the area around Promontory Summit as closely as possible to its appearance in 1869. Golden Spike National Historic Site is a US National Historic Site located at Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake in The site contains working replicas of the locomotives present at the original ceremony, which are drawn up face-to-face each Saturday during the summer for a re-enactment of the event.

On May 10, 2006, on the anniversary of the driving of the spike, Utah announced that its state quarter design would be a depiction of the driving of the spike. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The 50 State Quarters program ( is the release of a series of commemorative coins by the United States Mint. The Golden Spike design was the conception of Mr. Scott Price's Syracuse (Utah) Junior High School special education students. The design was selected as the winner from among several others by Utah's governor, Jon Huntsman, Jr. following a period during which Utah residents voted & commented on their favorite of three finalists.

See also

External links

The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will
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