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[Pages H3452-H3453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE GOLDEN SPIKE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah
(Mr. Bishop) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, on May 10, 1869, a Salt Lake paper
wrote that the people of Utah--the great pioneers of the Rocky
Mountains--received with acclamation the glad news of the completion of
the mighty work to which as a people they had contributed their part;
and hand in hand with the great circle of States and territories, now
rejoicing in union over the event, did thank God for its
accomplishments.
They were referencing the Golden Spike which had been driven
completing the first transcontinental railroad.
That date, May 10, will forever stand as a tribute to the men of
vision who foresaw the potential of an empire stretching from coast to
coast in the United States, bound together not only by iron rails but
also by a common interest.
From the time of the Civil War when this project started until three
or four decades later when the railroad system was completed, America
changed. In 1860, the United States was third in the world in
production of wheat. When the railroad was completed, we were first. In
1860, England produced three times as much coal as the United States.
When the railroad was complete, not only did we lead the world, we were
producing 110 million tons of coal more
[[Page H3453]]
than Great Britain. During the Civil War, England was producing six
times as much steel as we were, but when the railroad was complete, 42
percent of all steel was being produced in the United States--much of
that going to the railroad.
During the Civil War, there were only 30,000 miles of railroad track
in America. But when the system was complete, there was 167,000 miles
crisscrossing this country. Today we still have more railroad track
than any other country, 39 percent more than the number two country of
Russia, and more than the rest of the top 10, which include in order
China, India, Canada, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and France and
Belgium combined, even more than nation number 139 on that list, the
country of Lichtenstein, which has all of 5\1/2\ miles of railroad
track.
The railroad made our economic explosion possible. The railroad made
us an industrial giant. Before the railroad came, it was difficult to
move goods or even transport people. But once the spike was driven,
that was the kick-start to what we were going to do. Now, 150 years
later, we are celebrating the coming of the Central Pacific's Jupiter
with the Union Pacific's Engine 119 meeting together in Utah's
backyard. The railroads still move goods, and they also provide
passenger service.
{time} 1215
I still remember as a kid my parents taking me to the Ogden train
depot for a trip somewhere into Idaho, probably Boise. I was in my
Sunday best. As we went up to the observation car, I could look out and
see the beauty of this America passing us by.
It is an American national historical park. It is a place where the
American story is without equal.
In LaRue County, Kentucky, there is the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace
National Historical Park.
In Seneca, New York, there is the Women's Rights National Historical
Park.
In Ohio, you can visit the Dayton Aviation National Historical Park
where you can walk into the bicycle shop where Orville and Wilbur
Wright first started to conquer the skies.
The Golden Spike National Historical Park is going to recognize in
Promontory Summit in Utah, the place where the world changed, where not
only was history made that day, but also the Herculean efforts of those
who organized this, as well as the immigrant manpower of Irish coming
from the east and Chinese from the west, who provided the muscle to
accomplish this project.
A national historical park is accomplished by an act of Congress, but
the Spike 150 Commission, chaired by Doug Foxley and Spencer Stokes,
has mobilized a literal army of history lovers who will host a series
of events befitting this historic moment.
It has already started with a horse parade in Brigham City, a hoedown
in Tremonton, and a country church service on Sunday. It will also
culminate this Friday when we invite all of you to come to Utah to see
the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike, which
encouraged the pioneering of both the spirit and economy of America.
When that Golden Spike was driven, America welcomed a new frontier.
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