It is not a job for the railroads, or the state of Utah, or other small groups. Its centennial will take place in a short twenty years, and we should begin to prepare for it now. This is a national shrine! The event it portrays marks the beginning of a new era in the development of our western country.a great era. It has since been moved several times, but can presently be seen near the 1969 Visitor's Center. The first monument erected at the site was a concrete obelisk built by the Southern Pacific Railroad (successor to the Central Pacific) c. As of 2004 annual visitation ranges from 48,000 to 64,000. The rebuilt track was designed to be an authentic representation of the 1869 rails. Īlthough the line was abandoned in 1904 (bypassed by the Lucin Cutoff) and the original rails were removed in 1942 to serve the war effort, the site presently includes 2 miles (3.2 km) of rebuilt track from the summit area (where the rail systems were joined) to a train storage building. In addition to the Summit site where the rails were joined, the Park includes the two linear areas known as the west slope (west of the junction) and the east slope (east of the junction), which include worker campsites, partially-completed grades, incomplete cuts, specialty workshops, and two historical landmarks: where the Central Pacific finished its "Ten miles of track, laid in one day" tracklaying record (west slope) and where the Big Fill and Big Trestle were completed (east slope). Initially just 7 acres (2.8 ha) when it was established in 1957, limited to the area near the junction of the two rail systems, the site was expanded by 2,176 acres (881 ha) in 1965 through land swaps and acquisition of approximately a strip of land mostly 400 feet (120 m) wide along 15 + 1⁄ 2 miles (24.9 km) of the former railroad right-of-way. The Golden Spike National Historical Park encompasses 2,735 acres (1,107 ha). The final joining of the rails spanning the continent was signified by the driving of the ceremonial Golden Spike.īackground National Park Service map of Golden Spike National Historical Park It commemorates the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad where the Central Pacific Railroad and the first Union Pacific Railroad met on May 10, 1869. The nearest city is Corinne, approximately 23 miles (37 km) east-southeast of the site. Golden Spike National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located at Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake in east-central Box Elder County, Utah, United States.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |