Golden Spike

"The last rail is laid, the spike is driven, the Pacific Railroad is completed."  Here at Promontory, Utah, at 12:47 PM, on May 10, 1869, the driving of a golden spike completed the first transcontinental railroad.

A flag flies between the two engines and the telegraph attached to the flagpole picked up the hammering of the golden spike to announce to the world the Transcontinental Railroad was complete.

A.J. Russell's famous picture celebrating the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad.  I thought it was humorous, due to Prohibition, in some old photographs the champagne bottles are removed!

Our guide

Huge, beautiful Yucca plant.

Blossoms...

Victorian era trains were ornately painted works of art.

After the completion of the Lucin Cutoff trestle, the route through Promontory became a secondary line.  In 1942 the rails were removed and re-laid in military depots in support of the war effort during WWII.

California Laurelwood Tie, the original was lost in the San Francisco fire and earthquake of 1906.

Union Pacific Railroad Engine No. 119

It takes 2,000 gallons of water to get a steam locomotive approximately 15 to 30 miles.  Then they'll have to stop and fill up to go the next 15 to 30 miles.

Johnny Appleseed

Coal-fired engine

California Pacific Railroad "Jupiter" Engine No. 60

Wood burning engine

Golden Spike

This replica of the original Golden Spike was part of the Official Flight Kit aboard Orbiter Atlantis during Space Shuttle Mission STS-38, November 15-20, 1990.  By this gesture the ribbons of iron that spanned America's first Frontier are united with the ribbons of fire that are spanning America's last Frontier.  The original golden spike is displayed in Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.

Spiral Jetty

American sculptor, Robert Smithson constructed this earthwork sculpture in April 1970.

Great Salt Lake near the Spiral Jetty, water is murky brown in the distance.

Salt/sand of the Great Salt Lake.