SALT LAKE CITY — The Golden Spike will celebrate its 150th anniversary in Utah this week, bringing the eyes of the nation back to Utah.
Hundreds of public figures and thousands of ordinary citizens will gather together to celebrate Utah to honor the moment when dignitaries and officials pounded a railroad spike in the Utah desert back on the same day in 1869.
The golden spike represents the ceremonial karat gold spike driven in by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the First Transcontinental Railroad together, connecting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads together. The event took place at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, back in May 1869.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said back in February that May would begin a monthlong celebration of the Golden Spike, according to the Deseret News.
“The construction of the transcontinental railroad showed the world that the remarkable is possible through vision, hard work, dedication and collaboration. Principles that ring true today,” Herbert said.
The Spike 150 Foundation partnered with many Utah organizations to hold activities, events and performances this month to celebrate the event, according to the Deseret News.
Herbert said many Americans don’t realize how significant a role the transcontinental railroad played in bringing the country together.
"(The railroad) joined our country at a very difficult time — post-Civil War,” Herbert said. "The country was divided by a Civil War, it was divided by geography, but people came together and joined the country post-Civil War with a lot of workers from different walks of life and backgrounds."
