The golden spike, driven at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869, is famous for completing what?
Golden spike Golden spike The golden spike (also known as The Last Spike) is the ceremonial 17.6-karat gold final spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The term "last spike" has been used to refer to one driven at the usually ceremonial completion of any new railroad construction projects, particularly those in which construction is undertaken from two disparate origins towards a meeting point. The spike is now displayed in the Cantor Arts Center
Promontory, Utah The event at Promontory Summit was billed as the "wedding of the rails" and was officiated by the Reverend John Todd. Three spikes were driven; one was the golden spike, one was silver, and one was a mix of gold, silver, and iron. In 1898, the golden spike was donated to the Stanford Museum (now Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts). The last laurel tie was destroyed in fires caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Stanford University loaned the original 1869 gold spike to Cecil B. DeMille for the film "Union Pacific" (1939). It was held