Golden Spike 2019

TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD SESQUICENTENNIAL EVENT

May 10, 2019

8:00 am – Golden Spike National Historic Site Opens to the Public
8:15 am – Jupiter and #119 Replica Steam Engines Arrive
11:00 am to 1:30 pm – Sesquicentennial Celebration Ceremony, Keynote Address & As One Performance
1:30 to 7:00 pm – Spike 150 Festival: Music, Performances, Storytelling, Historical Reenactments, Train Demonstrations, Frontier Village, Innovation Summit, Reenactments, and Steam Train Demonstrations

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, authorizing the Central Pacific Railroad to build a line east from Sacramento and the Union Pacific Railroad Company to build west from Omaha. The transcontinental railroad bound the nation together with its completion in 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah.
With the connection of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific, along with other rail lines that went north and south of Ogden in the following years, Ogden was designated in 1874 as the junction location of the two railroad companies, earning it the nickname “Junction City.”  Ogden became alive with the movement of train passengers, service men, and railway workers, welcoming all sorts of visitors – some legitimate and some not so much to this town. As people poured into town, they would stroll up and down Historic 25th Street to prospect for business, dine, gossip, and enjoy upscale shopping. The city quickly became known for its wealth, and for its rough and tumble character, a place where one could gamble, spend some time in a brothel, and get a few drinks.
150 years later we are celebrating this iconic event that with a reenactment of two steam locomotives meeting at Promontory Summit and the Ogden Union Station. Events surrounding the May 10, 2019 ceremony are still in the planning stages, but there are large crowd expected during the weeklong event.
If you’d like to stay somewhere as unique as this event, check out our Huntsville, Ut vacation rentals. With upcoming events and tons of things to do, you won’t regret a stay in the Ogden Valley!