At what Utah site did the 1869 Golden Spike ceremony join the first transcontinental railroad?

The 1869 Golden Spike ceremony joined the first transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah. On May 10, 1869, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads were symbolically connected there.

The Union Pacific built westward from Omaha, Nebraska, while the Central Pacific built eastward from Sacramento, California. Their tracks met at Promontory Summit after years of difficult construction across plains, deserts, mountains, and high passes. The final ceremonial spike was made of 17.6-karat gold and was driven by Leland Stanford, Central Pacific president and a former California governor.

The commonly used phrase “transcontinental railroad” describes the new rail connection across the United States, but the network still required transfers and additional links before it operated like a modern coast-to-coast journey. The ceremony also did not end railroad construction elsewhere.

In 1969, the National Park Service created Golden Spike National Historical Park at the site. The original golden spike is preserved at Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center.