Golden Spike National Historical Park, near Brigham City, Utah, commemorates the ceremony held to mark the completion of the world’s first transcontinental railroad. The railroad stretched from coast to coast, connecting the eastern United States with the state of California and other settlements and territories in the West.
In 1862, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act. The act detailed plans for a transcontinental railroad and named two companies to lay the tracks. The Union Pacific Company set out west from Omaha, Nebraska. The Central Pacific Company began laying tracks eastward from Sacramento, California. The two companies met at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869. To celebrate the achievement, Leland Stanford, president of the Central Pacific, and Thomas Durant, president of the Union Pacific, placed a ceremonial last spike to connect the two railroad lines. The spike was made of cast gold.
Visitors to the Golden Spike National Historical Park can view a replica of the golden spike. Like the original, it bears the phrase “May God continue the unity of our Country as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world.” The original spike, designed by San Francisco contractor David Hewes, now belongs to Stanford University.
Part of the park resembles the historic scene of 1869. Working replicas of two steam engines, the Jupiter and No. 119, stand on tracks facing each other, almost touching. The ceremony of the golden spike is reenacted throughout the year for visitors. The park also includes construction camps used by the railroad workers. A visitor center offers exhibits, films, and lectures. The Golden Spike National Historic Site was added to the National Park System in 1965. The site was upgraded to a national historical park in 2019.
