Golden Spike Transcontinental Railroad Sesquincent Ceramic Ornament

The driving of the golden spike ceremony on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah commemorated the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. At this point, the tracks of the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad were connected, as were Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, California. The engraved spike itself was made of 17.6 karat gold and was replaced by a regular iron spike after the ceremony and donated to the Stanford Museum. These products celebrate the 150th or sesquincentennial celebration of this important event in our country’s history spanning the years 1869 to 2019. It should be noted that this massive infrastructure project was launched by President Abraham Lincoln during the midst of the Civil War. The time to cross the United States from East Coast to West Coast was reduced from six months to one week.