The First Transcontinental Railroad (Part 2)
back pay. They uncoupled Durant's car and chained it to the rails until he paid. He wired to Boston for the money, so was able to make it to Promontory by the 10th.
On May 9, the Union Pacific laid the final 2,5000 feet of track, leaving one length of rail separation. The two trains from the east arrived the morning of the 10th. There were about 600 at the ceremony, which began at noon. Reverend Dr. John Todd opened the ceremony with a two-minute prayer. The two engines, the Central Pacific's Jupiter and the Union Pacific's No. 119, stood cowcatcher to cowcatcher at each end of the last rail.
At 12:20, Strobridge and Reed laid in the ceremonial last tie. Durant inserted the two gold spikes in the tie. Stanford inserted the Nevada and Arizona spikes into the tie. The silver sledge was used to "drive" the spikes, but not enough to damage them.
The real final tie, spike, and sledge were ordinary. The only thing different was the spike was designed to send a telegraphic message that the railroad was finished. Stanford and Durant both missed when trying to drive in the final spike. But W.N. Shilling, the telegraph operator, sent the message anyway. Strobridge and Reed actually drove the final spike.
Then the two trains were driven together. A bottle of champagne was broken over the laurel tie. The Central Pacific engine backed up enough to allow the Union Pacific to cross the junction. Then the Union Pacific did the same. The point was 1,086 miles from the Missouri River and 690 miles from Sacramento.
Promontory was temporarily the terminus for both railroads. The terminus was moved to Ogden in early 1870, and Promontory died. However, railroad facilities were kept there for awhile. Extra locomotives there were used to help pull extra heavy loads up the eastern slope.
The Southern Pacific later decided to shorten the route by building a line across the Great Salt Lake. This was finished in 1904. The old route was used when bad weather cut off the new route. But in 1942, the Southern Pacific tore up the rails and gave them for the war effort.
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