Out in the West one often finds a bright spot around the bends in the long dusty roads. Sometimes, after looking endlessly at the map, hoping for a place to take a break, you come across a place where history is commemorated.
While continuing through Utah, the Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Point was another stop we found very interesting.
We arrived in the heavy heat of late afternoon, just in time to view part of the last showing of an informative video in the Visitor Center. Then, watching the demonstration of the Jupiter steam engine before she shunted off to her nightly rest in a round house hidden in the landscape, we sensed how this important day must have been................May 10, 1869.
Spanning a Continent...............................
By the time America's first small railroads were operating in the 1830's, people envisioned transcontinental travel by rail. The Central Pacific railroad from the West and Union Pacific from the East employed 8,000-10,000 men to build the railroad across the country. Irish, Italian, German, ex-slaves, American Indians and Chinese workers were a volatile mix in the "Hell-on-Wheels" towns thrown up near the base camps.
Congress finally declared the meeting place of the two railroad tracks to be Promontory Summit, Utah, and two locomotives - Central Pacific's Jupiter and Union Pacific's No. 119 - pulled up to the one rail gap left in the track on May 10, 1869. With much ceremony, a golden spike was symbolically tapped and the final iron spike was driven to connect the railroads.
The Central Pacific laid 690 miles of track, the Union Pacific 1,086. They had crossed 1,776 miles of desert, rivers and mountains to bind together East and West.
Jasmin and the Golden Spike.
The railroads tied the West to the eastern states. They altered the very pace of life. Politics and the economy were forever changed. Travel into the West became safe and comfortable, visitors from the eastern states and Europe toured the New America.
Have you taken a train across America? Do you prefer trains to planes?
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You saw some wonderful country out west. I love the story of the way the trains changed America. Also loved the little shack. Isn't it fun to imagine what lives were lived in those little homes once so vibrant and lived in. I always want to rescue them.
ReplyDeleteTrains.....how my husband loves them! Tewo years ago we took a train from Brittany to Salzburg, it was a wonderful journey, with the excitement of night trains too.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have taken a trip on a train in the US. When I was an exchange student in Rugby, North Dakota I took the train down to Fargo across the flat snowy plains of ND. I rather enjoyed the ride!
ReplyDeleteI love to read about how trains opened up the US and my own country as well. As a child we often took a train from Cape Town to Pretoria to visit my grandparents or from Cape Town to Grahamstown to visit my aunt. Richard and I and the girls took a train trip when they were about 5 and 3. Cath fell out of the top bunk and fractured her collar bone! Pity life is too rushed to use the train much today.
Oh, and I have had a marvellous train trip around Switzerland using a Swiss Rail pass. Highly recommended.
How wonderful!! I love history and this must have been very neat to see!!
ReplyDeleteThe only train ride I ever to was a commuter train from Kingston NY to NYC. I also got to take a train into Canada from Michigan, we had breakfast on the train and lunch in a tourist destination at a large canyon into Canada. It was only 100 miles trip and back. I have never experienced a ride on an overnight train. Sounds so romantic and mysterious. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteqMM
Thank you, Mary. This was so interesting. And, your photos are awesome. I love the picture looking down the tracks.
ReplyDeleteI have taken a train from Los Angeles to New Orleans. Would have enjoyed it better if we had a sleeper car, but we were in the coach seats the whole time. The train came to a stop in the middle of the Texas desert in high heat for a few hours while they fixed something....we got to see the less attractive parts of many cities on the route as we passed through. But I'm glad to have done it and would do it again...next time I'd like to try a northern route! I think I still prefer planes though, for most trips.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tremendous undertaking this was and what a hard life those men who built the railroad must have had. Driving the Last Spike has always been one of my favourite Genesis songs but I've never really understood just what it meant until i saw these photos. I've never been on a train at all in the US but I would LOVE to take a train across America, I didn't know it was still possible. I much prefer trains to planes as a way of travelling. As far as I know there isn't a transatlantic one yet though so I guess I'll have to go on flying:)
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, I love your post today. This is a very interesting part of America's history back when the golden spike was significant in the joining of the East and the West. Your photos are telling the story so well. Jasmin looks so cute looking at the golden spike.
ReplyDeleteI know you had the best trip out West.
Hugs...Jeanne
How neat that you came upon the Golden Spike without meaning to and learned so much to share with us. Incredible story!! Ambition and hard work best describes the way our country worked back then.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of Jasmin looking through the window of the display. And no, I have only taken trains locally.
xoxo
Jane
I love trains! They are so relaxing!
ReplyDeleteHugs, Lisa