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Golden spike sesquicentennial9/9/2023 A golden spike was symbolically driven followed by a final iron spike to connect the two railroads. On May 10, 1869, a locomotive from each railroad (Jupiter and No 119.) pulled up to the one-rail gap left in the track. Congress declared the meeting point to be Promontory Summit in Utah. They pushed so far beyond their railheads that they passed each other and ran for over 200 miles parallel to each other in opposite directions. The Chinese formed the backbone of the Central Pacific’ workforce.īoth sides pushed harder to grade more miles of track to claim more land subsidies. While Union Pacific employed immigrants from Europe, Civil War veterans from both sides, ex-slaves, and even American Indians Central Pacific hired several thousand Chinese as the labor pool was drained by the rush for gold and silver. The workforce of both sides was as unique as the land they had to cross. Central Pacific faced an even harder challenge as they had to ship every spike, track, locomotive 15,000 miles around Cape Horn. Eight flat cars of material were needed for every mile of track. Neither of the railroads made much headway during the civil war.Īfter the end of the civil war progress on both sides increased as labor and supplies freed up. That same year Congress authorized Central Pacific to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento and chartered the Union Pacific in New York.Ĭentral Pacific broke ground in January 1863 and Union Pacific in December 1863. He persuaded wealthy California merchants to form the Central Pacific Railroad. As America’s eastern states were linked by over 31.000 miles or rail none of them extended past the Missouri River.īy 1862 a young engineer named Theodore Judah had surveyed a route of the Sierra Nevada. Like everything, it all began with a dream. Transcontinental Railroad Backcountry Byway (BCB)Īt the Golden Spike National Historic Site, two railroads joined into one and forming the first transcontinental railroad in the history of the United States.West Auto Tour (closed from December to May):.What to Expect at the Golden Spike National Historic Site.Cachet ideas I’m thinking of include referencing old movies that have included scenes of the joining of the railroads. I’m looking forward to seeing in the Postal Bulletin next week if there are any Pictorial Postmarks that will be available, with the customary 30-day window for requesting. “150 years ago, a group of dignitaries gathered on a dusty rise not far from the shore of the Great Salt Lake to witness a spike made of solid gold be driven into a laurel-wood railroad tie with a silver hammer…” Each of the stamps and the header feature gold-foiled highlights that produce a glimmering effect…”įurthermore, over at the Golden Spike Sesquicentennial Celebration and Festival at Promontory Summit site, it has the event details for the May 10-12 weekend. 119 locomotives…Ī third stamp portrays the famous golden spike that was a prominent part of the ceremony. Two different stamps feature the Jupiter and the No. “Three new stamps in a pane of 18 mark the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, a massive engineering feat that reduced travel time across the country from as much as 6 months to about 1 week and made the American West an integral part of the nation. Reading the fine attention to detail in the descriptions bears including this excerpt from the Postal Bulletin 22516, 3-28-19. The completion was marked by the “Golden Spike Ceremony,” held on May 10, 1869, when rail lines built by the Central Pacific from the west and the Union Pacific from the east were joined.” “Building the transcontinental railroad during the 1860s was one of the great achievements of the era. The sheet of 18 stamps, three designs of six each, is $9.90. One can pre-order the new USPS Transcontinental Railroad stamps. They are commemorating “… the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad … with a magnificent set of Forever stamps.” On May 10 at Promontory Summit in Utah, the USPS is having their first-day-of-issue for the Transcontinental Railroad Stamps.
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