2006-09-08 10:28:39 · 9 answers · asked by PTA 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Rail
In your Assneck
2006-09-08 10:32:27 · answer #1 · answered by shiga_what 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
The Golden Spike was a railroad spike made of California gold.
It was one of two spikes used at the ceremony at Promontory Point, Utah on May 10,1869 to initiate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Golden Spike was the symbol for the Central Pacific Railroad, which was one of the railroads that built the line, and the other, being made of Nevada silver, represented the Union Pacific Railroad, the other company that built the line. The Golden Spike was inscribed with the names of the CP railroad's officials and this sentence, "May God continue the unity of our Country, as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of this world."
At the ceremony, Leyland Stanford, President of the CP, drove the spike into a laurel railroad tie with a silver hammer. After the Ceremony had concluded, Stanford presented it to the Stanford Museum(which he founded) where the original spike currently resides (a few duplicates were made in 1869 as publicity trinkets)
2006-09-08 11:00:38 · answer #2 · answered by titanictrainsboats 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This was the last spike driven in connecting the East and West ends of the Transcontinental Railroad in the USA, allowing for coast to coast travel by train for the first time.
2006-09-08 10:34:43 · answer #3 · answered by Michael E 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Michael E is exactly correct.
Lesser known is that there were electrical wires connected to the "spike" and the spike maul that drove it into the cross tie, which transmitted each stroke over the telegraph system of the day. The word transmitted by the measured taps in Morse code was, simply, "Done."
2006-09-08 10:52:24 · answer #4 · answered by Samurai Hoghead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Golden Spike is symbolic for the joining of the rail lines coming from the East and coming from the West. It was an event that happened in the late 1800's in Promentory, Utah.
2006-09-08 10:34:56 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
when the railroads that came from the east met the one that came from the west, there was a big ceremony and they joined the last peice of track with a golden spike. (jeez, that was a long time ago, I barely remember)
2006-09-08 10:31:50 · answer #6 · answered by Big hands Big feet 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Last spike in California railroad.
2006-09-08 10:34:53 · answer #7 · answered by SeraMcKay 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i've got the golden spike in my pants.
2006-09-08 13:25:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A spike made of gold. ...dab
2006-09-08 10:34:10 · answer #9 · answered by da_hammerhead 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋