Golden Spike and Aggie Ice Cream

It's Pioneer Day, the day Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Though it's not a holiday for Henry Schein One, I took the day off so we could go with the Austins and Weavers to Golden Spike National Historic Site. I've been there several times, but I've never seen the reenactment of the meeting of the railroads, which volunteers put on every Saturday and holiday during the summer.

If you haven't read it, you should read "Nothing Like It in The World" by Stephen Ambrose. This is a fascinating story of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad across the United States. I really do highly recommend this book. I know it sounds boring, but you won't be able to put it down. 

The Central Pacific Railroad started in Sacramento, California, and the Union Pacific Railroad started in Omaha, Nebraska. The U.S. government paid each company by the mile of track laid, so the operation became a race. After passing each other by many miles (because they were being paid by the mile), they finally agreed to meet at Promontory Summit in northern Utah, with a ceremony where they drove the golden spike (more about this in a minute) on May 10, 1869. 

This is inside the Jupiter, which came from the west. 

Notice the wooden brake mechanism. 

The Jupiter burned wood to make steam, because wood was plentiful as the rail layers made their way across the Sierra Nevadas. 

The 119 came from the east. It burned coal, because that fuel was plentiful in the east, and wood was scarce coming across the vast Midwest. 

This is the 119 coming down the Union Pacific tracks. It will stop, back up, and switch to the Intercontinental track to meet the Jupiter. 

The 119 comes in for the final meeting. 

This is the final spike, which is connected to a telegraph (note the telegraph operator at the table on the right), being driven for all the nation to hear. Two gold; one silver; and one gold, silver and steel spikes have already been placed in predrilled holes in a ceremonial tie. 

Annie, Jared, Chieko, Sara, Jackson and Tanner, where the trains met. 

Three cheers for bringing the nation together. 

Our group of spectators. 

About five miles from the Golden Spike site is ATK, which makes rocket engines. It used to make the liquid-fuel engines for the Space Shuttle, including the doomed Space Shuttle Challenger. We found it interesting that these two monuments to travel that are so distant in technology are so close in proximity. 

Next we drove to Logan to enjoy Aggie Ice Cream. Very generous portions of very delicious ice cream for a very reasonable price. Who could resist? 

The end.