Railroad Buffs Will Reenact Golden Spike Ceremony On May 10

May 10 marks the anniversary of the “driving of the golden spike,” completing the first US transcontinental railroad. Historians say the completion of the railroad essentially ended the frontier period in American, and soon tamed the wild West.

Reenactment ceremonies will take place at Golden Spike National Historic Site, in northern Utah. The Deseret News has this article about the events. Below are excerpts.

The Golden Spike National Historic Site will present two special events next week in recognition of the Golden Spike's 141st anniversary.

The "Driving of the Last Spike" will be commemorated on Monday, May 10, with a full day of events...

The visitors center opens at 9 a.m. There will be music and dance prior to the traditional program, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. The keynote speaker will be Kyle Wyatt, historian at the California Railroad Museum.

In a separate event, Dennis Lewin, a retired Union Pacific railroad telegrapher, will be presenting a program on the use and history of the telegraph on Saturday, May 15.

He will focus on the application of the telegraph as it was used by the railroad. The program will be held at the visitors center interpretive shelter, with the first demonstration at 10 a.m. and others continuing throughout the day until 3 p.m.