The Golden Spike marked completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869.
On May 10, 1869, railroad officials held a ceremony at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory. Leland Stanford of the Central Pacific Railroad drove the ceremonial spike to mark the meeting of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific rail lines.
The spike was made of 17.6-karat gold and was supplied by San Francisco financier David Hewes. It was tapped into a prepared hole rather than driven fully through the track, then removed and preserved.
The ceremony connected Sacramento and Omaha by rail, although the final route to San Francisco Bay required additional western track. The event is also called the Wedding of the Rails and is commemorated today at Golden Spike National Historical Park.