The Last Hurdle
On the weathered hillside above you are the
footprints of two hot rivals, straining for the finish
line in the greatest race of the 19th century.
The stakes were high. Each mile of track laid down
meant land grants and hefty federal subsidies - more
capitol for road construction. Blasting up from
California came the Central Pacific Railroad, led by
four eminent Sacramento businessmen with 10,000
Chinese laborers.
Eastern money and rough immigrant track gangs
pushed the Union Pacific Railroad out from Omaha,
barreling across the plains and through the Rockies.
Both competitors had one last obstacle - ascent
here of the Promontory Mountains, the steepest
grade east of the Sierra Nevada. And in the middle
of this tough grade, an unavoidable ravine, 500
feet wide.
Both railroads hurtled over this ravine, each making
the leap in its own way.
Union Pacific men were lagging
a mongth behind when they threw
up this wooden trestle. Only a
few trains rolled over this shaky
400-foot-long frame, since all traffic
moved over to the Big Fill after a
few months. Now nothing remains
but photographs and the twin
stone abutements.
The Central Pacific used small
dumpcarts to haul 10,000 cubic yards
of dirt into Spring Creek ravine.
This job took 500 men two intense
months of work, but it saved the
Central Pacific from having to dig an
800-foot-long tunnel. On this slope
and surrounding hillsides, an army
of workers was encamped in 1869.
If you want to see the Big Fill up
close, drive three-quarters of a mile
west on this road. There you will find
Big Fill Trail. A safe and easy walk
along the historic railroad grade will
bring you through rock cuts to the
site of the Big Trestle and the Big Fill.
Don't miss the rest of our virtual tour of Golden Spike National Historical Site in 660 images.