| Railroad Museum Celebrates Golden Spike Anniversary |
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May 5, 2009 CARSON CITY, Nev. – Join the Nevada State Railroad Museum on May 9 to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Union Pacific’s and Central Pacific’s driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory – the final link completing the first Transcontinental Railroad. Watch a dramatic reenactment headlined by the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad locomotive the Inyo.
On May 10, 1869 the rails of the Central Pacific Railroad were joined to those of the Union Pacific at Promontory Summit, Utah. America’s first Transcontinental Railroad was complete. The ceremony to join the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific was organized for May 8, 1869. There was a two-day delay to repair flooded track in eastern Utah, during which Union Pacific vice-president Thomas Durant was kidnapped by disgruntled subcontractors, who announced that they would hold him until they received their back pay. The Board of Directors wired $500,000 from New York, and Durant was freed. While at the museum see the exhibit “Nevada’s First Railroad – The Central Pacific” which highlights Nevada’s first railroad and an important part of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad. It illustrates how discovery of the Comstock Lode in late 1859 defined the route of the Central Pacific Railroad. Maps, photographs, artwork, artifacts and newspaper clippings will be exhibited. Fares for motor car rides are $4.00 for adults; $3.00 for seniors 65 up; $2.00 for children 6 to 11 and children 5 and under ride free. Trains depart from the historic Wabuska Depot at the museum regularly from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Nevada State Railroad Museum operates steam-ups with historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad equipment on selected weekends throughout the year. The museum also participates in scholarly efforts, such as the annual Nevada Railroad History Symposium held in Carson City each fall. Open daily from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., the museum is located on Route 395 at the south end of Carson City at the intersection of Fairview Avenue. A yellow train station and red water tank at the entrance to the museum grounds are landmarks. For more information, please call (775) 687-6953. The Nevada State Railroad Museum is one of seven museums in the Nevada Department Cultural Affairs. DCA is comprised of the Division of Museums and History, the State Historic Preservation Office, the State Library and Archives, and the Nevada Arts Council. It serves Nevada’s citizens and visitors through cultural and information management, preservation and promotion of cultural resources, and education. Other key components of the department are the Comstock Historic District Commission, the Literacy Coalition, the Advisory Committee on Participatory Democracy, and the Commission for Cultural Affairs. More information is on the web page at NevadaCulture.org.
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Visitors can participate in an old-West photo opportunity with costumed reenactors representing Civil War era military and railroad workers. The reenactment will take place every half hour between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Motor Car rides will be available.
