You Won't Want To Miss This Once-In-A-Lifetime Utah Celebration
On May 10, 1869, the entire country celebrated when the first Transcontinental Railroad was completed at Promontory Point, Utah. This year marks the sesquicentennial, and there’s a big celebration planned that you won’t want to miss.
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Andrew J. Russell - Yale University Libraries, Public Domain
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Western Pacific Railroad crews were tasked with building lines from San Francisco to Sacramento, while Central Pacific crews started the arduous task of laying rail line from Sacramento over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In Council Bluffs, Iowa on January 8, 1863, Union Pacific crews started on their 1,087 miles of rail line.
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Most people don't know that on that day in 1869, the rail line didn't actually reach the west coast. The Western Pacific Railroad had suffered financial issues, and its progress had halted back in 1866. After the ceremony at Promontory Point, the Central Pacific purchased the Western Pacific and resumed building activity from Sacramento west to Oakland. That line was completed in November of 1869.
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The Golden Spike National Historic Site is located at Promontory Point, in Box Elder County. The closest town is Corinne, about 23 miles away.
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Click here for tickets.
See the full celebration calendar and get your tickets on the Golden Spike National Historical Park’s website. Do you plan to attend the 150-year celebration of the Golden Spike? Tag the friends and family you want to join you!
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