It was held, unknown to the public, by the Hewes family until 2005. It has been noted that the first Golden Spike engraving appeared "rushed", and the Hewes family spike lettering appeared more polished. A second golden spike, exactly like the one from the ceremony (except for the date), was cast at the same time, and probably engraved at a later time with the correct Promontory date of May 10, 1869. The spike was removed immediately after being hammered in to prevent it from being stolen. Hewes Family Golden Spike at the California State Railroad Museum May God continue the unity of our Country, as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world.The Pacific Railroad ground broken January 8, 1863, and completed May 8, 1869.The spike was engraved on all four sides: It was dropped into a pre-drilled hole in the laurel ceremonial last tie, and gently tapped into place with a silver ceremonial spike maul. The golden spike was made of 17.6- karat (73%) copper-alloyed gold, and weighed 14.03 troy ounces (436 g). The Museum of the City of New York sold the spike in January 2023, via auction, to benefit other items in its collection. It was, for a time, on display at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The spike was donated to the Museum of the City of New York in 1943, by a descendant of Sidney Dillon. This spike was given to Union Pacific President Oliver Ames following the ceremony. a blended iron, silver and gold spike, supplied by the Arizona Territory, engraved: Ribbed with iron clad in silver and crowned with gold Arizona presents her offering to the enterprise that has banded a continent and dictated a pathway to commerce.a silver spike, supplied by the State of Nevada forged, rather than cast, of 25 troy ounces (780 g) of unpolished silver.
a second, lower-quality gold spike, supplied by the San Francisco News Letter, was made of $200 worth of gold and inscribed: With this spike the San Francisco News Letter offers its homage to the great work which has joined the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.īefore the last spike was driven, three other commemorative spikes, presented on behalf of the other three members of the Central Pacific's Big Four who did not attend the ceremony, had been driven in the pre-bored laurel tie: It is unknown how many people attended the event estimates run from as low as 500 to as many as 3,000 government and railroad officials and track workers were present to witness the event. 60 (better known as the Jupiter) locomotives were drawn up face-to-face on Promontory Summit. On May 10, in anticipation of the ceremony, Union Pacific No. The Last Spike, 1881 painting by Thomas Hill
The ceremony was originally to be held on (the date actually engraved on the spike), but it was postponed two days because of bad weather and a labor dispute that delayed the arrival of the Union Pacific side of the rail line. A special tie of polished California laurel was chosen to complete the line where the spike would be driven. Two of the sides were engraved with the names of the railroad officers and directors. The spike had been manufactured earlier that year especially for the event by the William T.
See also: First Transcontinental Railroad § The "Last Spike" ceremonyĬompleting the last link in the transcontinental railroad with a spike of gold was the brainchild of David Hewes, a San Francisco financier and contractor.
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