In the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law.  It declared that a railroad would be built to connect the United States' east and west coasts and unite the nation.  After six years of construction and roughly $100 million in costs, the transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869.

To celebrate the completion of the railroad, a ceremony was held where four special spikes would be driven into a laurelwood tie to mark the occasion.  Those were the Golden Spike, The Nevada Silver Spike, The Arizona Spike (an iron spike plated with gold and silver), and a second spike also made of gold.  

The transcontinental railroad reduced the travel time between the east and west coasts from months to days. It not only allowed more ease of movement for people, but also for goods and supplies.  It transformed the nation!  Utah is proud of the part it played in this important chapter of United States history!

Facts about the spikes and the transcontinental railroad