Golden spike

The golden spike (also known as the last spike[1]) is the ceremonial 17.6-karat gold spike driven to mark the completion of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States. It was driven by Leland Stanford to connect the Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento and the Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The spike is now displayed in the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.[2]

The term last spike has since been used to refer to a spike driven at the usually ceremonial completion of a railroad construction project, particularly one in which construction is undertaken from two origins toward a meeting point.

  1. ^ "The Last Spike" by Thomas Hill, 1881 The Central Pacific Photographic History Museum
  2. ^ Family Collections at the Cantor Arts Center Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts
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