Transcontinental Railroad Anniversary

May 10, 2018 marks the 149th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah – linking both East and West Coasts of the United States for the first time. To commemorate this anniversary, here is a link to an image of the “Joining of the Rails” by Charles Roscoe (C. R.) Savage.

Savage was one of three photographers commissioned to document this event – one of the most important in 19th Century American history. Along with this iconic image, second in fame only to Union Pacific photographer Andrew J. Russell’s image of the event, Perry Special Collections has two other images that Savage took on this day (see below):

Getting ready to lay the last rail / C. R. Savage, Promontory, Utah, May 10, 1869

Driving the last spike / C. R. Savage, Promontory, Utah, May 10, 1869

Starting in August 2018, look for exhibits and other events here at Perry Special Collections and the Lee Library, and throughout the state, as we gear up for the 15oth anniversary of this important historical event!