Last Spike Driven

A rough crowd gathered at the far set of tracks fifteen yards ahead as only one section of rails remained unfinished after six million spikes and six years of work. The honor of ceremonially finishing the Pacific railroad with a spike maul hot-wired to the telegraph line fell to Stanford and Durant, the two railroad barons who had spearheaded the roadbuilding. After speeches and a lengthy prayer, Governor Stanford stepped up, took the hammer, swung, and missed, and then Dr. Durant took his turn and also missed the spike. With each swing of the mauls, the crowd of workingmen broke into spontaneous applause. James Strobridge and Samuel Reek, the crew bosses of the two roads, then took up unwired mauls and divided the last blows between them as the air exploded with hurrahs. With those last few swings, the billion-dollar dream of the world’s first transcontinental railroad became a reality.

Thatcher, Utah · United States