The Golden Spike was a ceremonial railroad spike used to celebrate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. It was driven into the last rail siding and replaced with a regular one. The spike is now on display at Stanford University and has been commemorated on Utah’s state quarter.
The Golden Spike was a memorial railroad spike built to celebrate the completion of construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, the first railroad to span the United States. In a highly publicized ceremony in 1869, the Golden Spike was ceremonially driven into the last rail siding, officially joining the two halves of the railroad, and a telegraph message announced “DONE” to the world. Soon after the ceremony, the tip was removed and replaced with a regular one.
The Transcontinental Railroad was an ambitious cooperative project involving the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad. The two worked from opposite ends of the country, laying trails that eventually met in the Utah Territory. Realizing the magnitude of the event, the railroad bosses decided to hold a formal ceremony to mark the completion of the track, and contractor David Hewes suggested making a ceremonial gold point, silver point mace and a special sleeper made of California laurel wood for the event.
For the ceremony, two locomotives were lined up on either side of the track to face each other, and Central Pacific Railroad chief Leland Stanford drove the spike into the specially prepared tie. Historical accounts of the event vary; some people said that Stanford was unable to push the spike all the way in, and as a result an ordinary railroad man took over for the last few shots.
Once the Golden Spike was admired in situ, the spike and special tie were removed and replaced with a regular tie and a regular iron spike in a “Last Spike” ceremony. The spike went on display before being returned to David Hewes, who eventually donated it to Stanford University, where it remains on display today. In addition to the original Golden Spike, at least two replicas were made, along with a silver spike, and pieces of the spike were also used to make wrist watches for prominent railroad officials.
The Golden Spike is commemorated in Utah’s state quarter, and numerous other railroads followed the Transcontinental Railroad’s lead in decades to come, producing their own commemorative engraved spikes. These objects reside mostly in private collections today, although some history museums interested in transportation have managed to obtain gold and silver tips related to various railway ceremonies.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
