Golden Spike Monument

Maid Appleton @ Golden Spike Monument

 

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“Entering Golden Spike National Historic Site – Entrance Fee Required”

 

 

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“Golden Spike National Historic Site”

 

 

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“National Historic Site ~ Golden Spike. ‘The last rail is laid, the spike is driven. The Pacific Railroad is completed.’ Here at Promontory, Utah, at 12:47 p.m. on May 10, 1869, the driving of a golden spike completed the first transcontinental railroad. Climax of a dramatic railroad-building race between the Union Pacific building from the east and the Central Pacific building from the west, this event symbolized attainment of a long sought goal-a direct transportation route to the Pacific Ocean and the China trade. And it achieved the great political objective of binding together by iron bonds the extremities of continental United States, a rail link from ocean to ocean.” – National Park Service, United State Department of the Interior

 

 

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“Original Rail – Spanning a Continent | The Shape of Rail | A New Era”

 

 

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“Evolution of Rail – Helping to Build a Nation | The New Shape of Rail | Rail Today”

 

 

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“The Locomotives of Golden Spike – No. 119 ~ Life of a Locomotive | What’s the Difference?”

 

 

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“Jupiter”

 

 

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“The Locomotives of Golden SPike – Jupiter – Life of a Locomotive | Return to Promontory”

 

 

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“The last tie laid on the completion of the Pacific Railroad, May, 1869”

 

 

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“May 9, 1869 – In this photo, taken on day before the transcontinental line was finished, a 30-foot gap in the railroad remains to be completed. A town quickly grew at the Last Spike Site, and two of the first businesses, the Restaurant and the Red Cloud Saloon, stand in the background. Within days, numerous other tents would appear as the town of Promontory came into existence. Behind the crowd are some of the cars which carried Central Pacific Railroad dignitaries to the celebration.”

 

 

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“May 10, 1869 – With an officer of the Twenty-first U.S. Infantry posed on the completed tracks and men of his regiment behind him, dignitaries of the Union Pacific Railroad stand for a photograph. Dr. Thomas C. Durant, Union Pacific Vice President, is seen, at center, wearing the gauntlets. To his left, the gentleman with the white muttonchops whiskers is Union Pacific Director Sidney Dillon. Third person to Dillon’s left is Grenville M. Dodge, Union Pacific Chief Engineer.”

 

 

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LEFT SIDE – “Golden Spike Centennial Celebration Re-enactment: May 10, 1969” lists people present in 1869 and 1969. RIGHT TOP – “To commemorate the centennial of the first transcontinental railroad in America and to pay tribute to the Chinese workers of the Central Pacific Railroad whose indomitable courage made it possible.” May 10, 1869 – May 10, 1969 ~ Plaque placed by the Chinese Historical Society of America – Plaque donated by San Francisco Chinese Community. RIGHT BOTTOM – “National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark – Joining of the Rails Transcontinental Railroad – May 10, 1869

 

 

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“10 Miles of track, laid in one day. April 28th 1868”

 

 

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“Replicas of the Last Tie and Last Spikes ~ On May 10, 1869 the transcontinental railroad was symbolically completed with four spikes of gold and silver. They were carefully set into holes predrilled in a polished tie of California laurelwood. After a brief ceremony, these were removed and replaced by iron spikes driven into a standard tie of white pine. The laurel tie was displayed in San Francisco until destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.”

 

 

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“The Baby Dragoon – Life and property preservers, for house keepers, travelers, captains, and others, patent self-cocking & self revolving pocket pistols – J.G. Bolen Advertisement 1840” Manufactured from 1847 to 1865 by Allen & Thurber in Worcester, Massachusetts, the model 1837 became one of the most popular handguns of their day. Known as a “Baby Dragoon,” this six-shot, smooth bore pistol featured revolving multiple barrels and a double action bar hammer, allowing the pistol to be fired with a single pull of the trigger. Allen Pepperboxes were the first American double action revolvers produced. Predominantly marketed as an inexpensive and reliable sidearm weapon for self defense, Pepperbox pistols appealed to a wide section of the American public. These pistols were commonly sold to emigrants heading west. The pistol underwent conservation at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. The cleaning process revealed three of the six chambers contained the remnants of lead bullets and black powder. Speckles of gilded gold were found on the nipple guard and inside of the trigger guard. This Pepperbox pistol was recovered from looters illegally metal detecting for historic artifacts. Looting and vandalism of archaeological sites robs us of our history and our ability to connect to and understand the past. Artifacts and other archaeological materials are protected under federal law (16USC431-433; 16USC470). If you happen upon artifacts in the Golden Spike National Historic Site please leave the artifacts in place and inform park service personnel.”

 

 

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“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 final Frontier.” ” The original golden spike is at Stanford University in the art museum. Leland Stanford was the President of the Central Pacific Railroad and held various political offices in California including Governor and U.S. Senator. The spike was donated to the university in 1892, the year it was founded.”

 

 

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“Golden Spike National Historic Site ~ A journey across the plains was a formidable undertaking, that required great patience and endurance. Now all is changed…The six months’ journey is reduced to less than a week. The prairie schooner has passed away, and is replaced by the railway coach with all its modern comforts. – Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, December 11, 1869”

 

 

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“Stephen Tyng Mather (July 4, 1867 – Jan. 22, 1930) ~ He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done.”

 

 

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“The Southern Pacific Monument – An Icon Restored | Significance of the Monument”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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