Golden Spike National Historic Site
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| Golden Spike National Historic Site | |
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| IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) | |
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| Location: | Utah, USA |
| Nearest city: | Brigham City, UT |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 2,735 acres (11 km²) |
| Established: | April 2, 1957 |
| Total Visitation: | 40,156 (in 2005) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
Golden Spike National Historic Site is a U.S. National Historic Site located at Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. It commemorates the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad where the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad met on May 10, 1869. The final joining of the rails spanning the continent was signified by the driving of a Golden spike.
The Historic Site encompasses 2,735 acres (11 km²). In 2002, it received 49,950 visitors. It was authorized as a National Historic Site on April 2, 1957 under nonfederal ownership. It was authorized for federal ownership and administration by an act of Congress on July 30, 1965.
In 1978, a general master plan for the site was adopted with the goal of maintaining the site's scenic attributes as closely as possible to its appearance and characteristics in 1869. In 2006, a petition to the Board on Geographic Names resulted in a name change for Chinamans Arch, a 20-foot limestone arch at Golden Spike NHS. In honor of the 19th century Chinese railroad workers, the arch is now known as Chinese Arch.
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