What Was The "Golden Spike"�?

On May 10, 1869, the last spike was driven into the ties of the U.S. transcontinental rail line at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The symbolic spike was actually made of alloys because gold would be too soft to take a sledgehammer's blow.

Locomotives of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads, separated by just a single tie, were poised to meet. Leland Stanford, one of the "Big Four" financiers who backed the transcontinental, drove in the spike. As many as 3,000 government and railroad officials and track workers were present.

At exactly 12:47 p.m., the last iron spike was driven, finally completing the line. Stanford missed the golden spike, but the single word "done" was nevertheless flashed by telegraph around the country. In the United States, the event is considered one of the first nationwide media events.

The golden spike was immediately replaced with a regular iron one. The symbolic spike was eventually taken for display at another one of the millionaire's benefactors, the prestigious university south of
San Francisco which was to bear Stanford's name.