Last Spike Driven: America Connects Coast to Coast
Leland Stanford drove the ceremonial golden spike at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869, connecting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads and completing the first transcontinental railroad. He missed on the first swing. Telegraph operators wired the word "DONE" across the nation, triggering celebrations from coast to coast. The railroad reduced cross-country travel time from six months to six days and freight costs by 95%. The Central Pacific had employed up to 15,000 Chinese laborers who did the most dangerous work, blasting tunnels through the Sierra Nevada granite using nitroglycerin, for lower wages than white workers received. Many died in avalanches, explosions, and accidents. Their contributions went unrecognized for over a century.
May 10, 1869
157 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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