May 9, 1869
In this photo taken one day before the
transcontinental line was finished, a
thirty-foot gap in the railraod remains to be
completed. Quickly a town grew at the
Last Spike Site and two of the first
businesses, the Restaurant and the Red Cloud
saloon, stand in the background. Within
days numerous other tents would appear
as the town of Promontory came into
existence. Behind the crowd are some of
the cars which carried Central Pacific
Railroad dignitaries to the celebration.
Don't miss the rest of our virtual tour of Golden Spike National Historical Site in 660 images.