First Transcontinental Railroad Groundbreaking Site

At Front and K Streets in Sacramento, the First Transcontinental Railroad in America began at its western origin when prominent citizens and railroad founders gathered on January 8, 1863, for a groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction of the Central Pacific Railroad. For more than six years, thousands labored to connect the Central Pacific from the west with the Union Pacific Railroad from the east. On May 10, 1869, the driving of the "Last Spike" at Promontory, Utah, signified the completion of one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century, uniting the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts. As the nation recovered from a divisive Civil War, the achievement was celebrated with cannon and gun salutes and the ringing of the Liberty Bell, and for the first time in history an entire continent could be traversed in a matter of days by both people and all types of goods.

Sacramento, California · United States