"A new home for the 'lost' spike"

"A new home for the 'lost' spike" by Dixie Reid, © Sacramento Bee, May 11, 2006. (News Article)

"The most celebrated symbol of the transcontinental railroad is the golden spike that was tapped into a ceremonial railroad tie on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit in Utah. At long last, California was united with the rest of the country. The so-called 'last' spike is in a museum at Stanford University. However, there was a second golden spike, unknown to historians – or anyone outside of a Southern California family – for 136 years. Known as the 'lost' spike, it now belongs to the California State Railroad Museum, which will put it on display Saturday for one day only. It will go on permanent display at the museum in September, next to Thomas Hill's celebrated 1881 painting, 'The Last Spike.' ... " [More]

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