#344 Union

Uniting the east and west coasts by rail - 1869.

Interesting facts regarding the Golden Spike National Historic Site:

• The original golden spike is housed in the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University. 
• The locomotives make for quite a show but only in warmer months.
• The dark areas on the rails below show where they stop. My sister is standing on the rail where the golden spike would be (see above).
• The railroad ties in the foreground are smooth because they were made in a California factory owned by Leland Stanford. The railroad ties behind my sister are hand-hewned and look rougher.
• This segment of the railroad was very expensive to maintain (high altitude, snow) so a southern route across the Salt Lake from Ogden was built.
• During WW II, the rails were confiscated for the war effort. This stretch through the monument is no longer used except for the summer demonstrations.