The Golden Spike

The Golden Spike was a ceremonial golden railway spike hammered into the ground by Leland Stanford on May 10, 1869 in Promontory Summit, Utah. The Golden Spike marked the completion of the world's first Transcontinental Railroad, as the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads met. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad allowed people to travel from coast to coast in about seven days. Before the railroad, the same trip would have taken months.