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The Golden Spike is driven, completing the first US Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah, connecting the

The Golden Spike is driven, completing the first US Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah, connecting the Central Pacific Railroad with the Union Pacific

The golden spike (also known as the last spike) 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.

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.

Historical Significance

The golden spike (also known as the last spike) is the ceremonial 17.

Key People

Grenville M. Dodge

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Charles Crocker

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Events Before

  1. US House of Representatives votes 126 to 47 to impeach President Andrew Johnson

    The impeachment of Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors" was initiated by the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 1868.

  2. American religious leader Brigham Young weds his 53rd wife, American actress and future polygamy critic Anna Webb (24),

    American religious leader Brigham Young weds his 53rd wife, American actress and future polygamy critic Anna Webb (24), in Salt Lake City, Utah

  3. The Shogunate is abolished in Japan

    The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to the Paleolithic, around 38–39,000 years ago.

  4. Abyssinian War ends as British and Indian troops capture Magdala and Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros II commits suicide

    Abyssinian War ends as British and Indian troops capture Magdala and Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros II commits suicide

  5. US Senate fails to impeach President Andrew Johnson by one vote

    The impeachment of Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors" was initiated by the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 1868.

Events After

  1. American lawman Wyatt Earp (21) weds Urilla Sutherland (20) in Lamar, Missouri, until her death in August of the same ye

    American lawman Wyatt Earp (21) weds Urilla Sutherland (20) in Lamar, Missouri, until her death in August of the same year

  2. American writer (Huckleberry Finn) Samuel Langhorne Clemens, pen name Mark Twain, (34) marries Olivia Langdon (24) in El

    American writer (Huckleberry Finn) Samuel Langhorne Clemens, pen name Mark Twain, (34) marries Olivia Langdon (24) in Elmira, NY

  3. Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing suffrage for all races and colors

    Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing suffrage for all races and colors

  4. Impressionist Painter Claude Monet (29) weds model Camille Doncieux in Paris

    Impressionist Painter Claude Monet (29) weds model Camille Doncieux in Paris

  5. The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution is adopted, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race

    The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, color,…

More from the 1860s

Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation to free enslaved people in Confederate states

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.

Slavery is abolished in the Dutch East Indies for areas under direct rule

The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945.

birth

Alfred Stieglitz is born

Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, known for american photographer, was born on 1864-01-01.

birth

Qi Baishi is born

Qi Baishi, Chinese painter, known for chinese painter, was born on 1864-01-01. Qi Baishi (1 January 1864 – 16 September 1957) was a Chinese painter, noted for the whimsical, often playful style of…

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 10, 1869?
The golden spike (also known as the last spike) 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.
Why is The Golden Spike is driven, completing the first US Transcontinental Railroad... significant?
The golden spike (also known as the last spike) is the ceremonial 17.
Who was involved in The Golden Spike is driven, completing the first US Transcontinental Railroad...?
Key figures include Grenville M. Dodge, Charles Crocker.

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May 10 in HistoryYear 1869