The final golden spike completing the first transcontinental railroad was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, in 1869.
The ceremony took place on May 10, 1869, when the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met. The Union Pacific had built westward from Omaha, while the Central Pacific had pushed eastward from Sacramento through the Sierra Nevada. The joining created the first continuous rail connection across the United States.
Leland Stanford, president of the Central Pacific, drove the final ceremonial spike. The spike was made of 17.6-karat gold and was later removed and preserved. The famous photograph of the ceremony includes company officials and workers, though many Chinese railroad laborers who built difficult sections were not prominently represented.
Promontory Summit is often confused with Salt Lake City because the ceremony occurred in Utah. The actual meeting point was north of the city, at Promontory in Box Elder County.