Promontory, UT is where the last spike was hammered in the trans-continental railroad - not Promontory Point which is several miles to the south. The Point was mistakenly named as the last spike location by period newspapers and the misconception continues to this day.
A visit here had been on Trish's bucket list for some time so she's a happy camper.
The eastern portion of the RR, the Union Pacific, started in Omaha; the western leg, the Central Pacific, started in Sacramento. The construction of both legs was challenging due to severe weather, mountains, deserts; the eastern part had hostile Indians in addition.
The Historic Site is a 'gotta wanna' kind of place in a remote location about 40 miles from the nearest freeway. After touring it, gotta say it's well worth the drive.
Exact replicas of the 2 engines that met at the Spike were built in 1979. Below, they meet as their ancestors did back in the day, with the last spike location centered between them.
The Jupiter, a wood burning steam engine, came from the west.
The 119, a coal burning steamer, came from the east.
The Golden Spike was hammered in on May 10, 1869. It now resides at Stanford U in CA.
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