The Transcontinental Railroad was built by two companies, the Union Pacific (building west from Omaha) and the Central Pacific (building east from Sacramento). The two companies met at Promontory Summit, Utah, north of the Great Salt Lake, in May, 1869.
The site is now known as the Golden Spike National Historic Site, operated by the National Park Service with the assistance of volunteers who act as docents, exhibit-makers, locomotive engineers, and locomotive firemen.
On May 10, 1869, a ceremony marked the completion of the railroad. Tradition has it that a golden spike was driven into the last tie to mark the occasion. Actually, there were four spikes, and the "last tie" (a polished laurel beam) was predrilled to accept them. After the ceremony, the original last tie was placed on display in San Francisco, where it remained until it was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. A replica is now on display in the GSNHS visitors center.
The original rails, ties, and telegraph lines were removed in 1942
(steel was needed for the war effort), after the original route was
abandoned. The NPS has reconstructed a mile or so of the line along
the original right-of-way, in the vicinity of the visitors center.
As part of this work, several of the original telegraph poles were
reconstructed based on historic photographs.
 (detail from above photo). May 9, 1869. |
 September, 2002. |
Historic photos by National Park Service. Modern photos by Neal McLain, September 2002.