Golden Spike Sesquicentennial today

[Scott Lloyd]

I was reflecting on the question of what enduring value a transcontinental railway has in an age of jet air travel and an interstate highway system. Then I remembered Ocasio-Cortez’s insanely stupid green new deal whereby she seeks to outlaw flight and motor vehicles, and I realized in that event, railways spanning the continent would suddenly take on all the utility of yesteryear. 

[Scott Lloyd]

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900070028/president-russell-m-nelson-speaks-golden-spike-mormon-lds.html

See above link for a story quoting President Russell M. Nelson’s remarks at today’s sesquicentennial celebration at Promontory. 

President Brigham Young was not present for the occasion 150 years earlier. I understand from a KSL interview about him that I saw today that he was miffed that the Union Pacific had stiffed laborers from the Church on their pay for bringing the railroad down from Echo Canyon and on into Utah. The railroad had a bad habit of doing this with its subcontractors. The matter was settled by the railroad providing rails and supplies for the Church to use in constructing the Utah Central Railroad, which tied Salt Lake City into the transcontinental railroad and which was instrumental in transporting materials for construction of the Salt Lake Temple. 

Also, President Young didn’t like it that the transcontinental railroad had been routed north of Salt Lake instead of up through Provo Canyon to the capital city. 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Scott Lloyd

[Calm]

6 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I understand from a KSL interview with him that I saw today that he was miffed....

Some ambiguity there...interview with Pres. Young or Pres. Nelson?  Was the person interviewed the same as the person who was miffed?  Or was "with" meant to be "about"?

Edited May 10, 2019 by Calm

[Scott Lloyd]

6 minutes ago, Calm said:

Some ambiguity there...interview with Pres. Young or Pres. Nelson?  Was the person interviewed the same as the person who was miffed?  Or was "with" meant to be "about"?

Sorry. I mistyped. I wrote “interview with him” when I should have written interview about him, meaning President Young. I have fixed the error. 

The interview was with Elder Steven E. Snow, Church Historian. 

[Calm]

I am glad you mistyped, I really enjoyed the visual image of Pres. Young being interviewed on KSL and him saying "I was miffed!"

[Robert F. Smith]

5 hours ago, stemelbow said:

Well, they were treated poorly and excluded from society and government.  It is estimated I belive that a good 10% of them died while doing the work but no one recorded the deaths so...well.  That's nice.  After the track was complete the sentiment for Chinese Americans grew worse and worse until they passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.  

Yes, and with plenty of anti-Chinese riots.

[Robert F. Smith]

5 hours ago, bluebell said:

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-chang-transcontinental-railroad-anniversary-chinese-workers-20190510-story.html

https://www.apnews.com/97ac6ef2719a4e4786b9c7d8d5188363

The second link is more focused on Utah.

Thank you for that.  We definitely need to be far more cognizant of the contributions of the Chinese to that huge project, but also to their continuing contributions to America.  In addition, I had a wonderful Chinese stake president in Southern California, and I have a Chinese cardiologist here in Provo who keeps me alive.

[Teancum]

On 5/10/2019 at 12:16 PM, Scott Lloyd said:

https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2019-05-08/golden-spike-150th-anniversary-transcontinental-railroad-49685

Today is a landmark day in Church history as well as American history: 150 years since the completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah. Above is a link to an article in the Church News by my friend Trent Toone reporting his interview with Church historians exploring the involvement of the Church and its members in the development of the   railroad and its significance to them.

On a personal note, I was present as a teenager 50 years ago for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary. And as a former Ogden Standard-Examiner reporter, I have been to the Golden Spike National Historic Site several times and seen the live re-enactment    of “the wedding of the rails.”

So cool that you were there at the 100th anniversary!  I was as well. We lived in Brigham City then.  I was 9.5 years old. I thought it was such a cool event and remember it with fondness. In 1869 it was such a monumentla event and worth remembering and dedicating.

[Teancum]

On 5/10/2019 at 1:01 PM, MiserereNobis said:

Hell on Wheels!

A great show!

[Teancum]

On 5/10/2019 at 2:20 PM, Scott Lloyd said:

I would be 114 then. Some people have lived that long, I suppose. 

My guess is neither of us well be around then.  But who knows?  😁😁

[Scott Lloyd]

45 minutes ago, Teancum said:

So cool that you were there at the 100th anniversary!  I was as well. We lived in Brigham City then.  I was 9.5 years old. I thought it was such a cool event and remember it with fondness. In 1869 it was such a monumentla event and worth remembering and dedicating.

I remember the two replica steam engines being there on that occasion, but it must be compressed memory with my later visits to the historic site, because I read a few days ago that the engines were not there until after 1969. 

Much later, when I worked for the Ogden Standard-Examiner, I would cover both the Golden Spike commemorations and the rocket motor tests at Morton Thiokol for the space shuttle program. Thiokol was on the highway on the way out   to Promontory. I thought it an interesting juxtaposition of two locales pertaining historically to transportation. 

[USU78]

On 5/10/2019 at 11:43 AM, Robert F. Smith said:

What I want to know is, What happened to the Chinese who built the thing?

They used to tell the story of workers killed during the miserable stretch through the Sierras being buried right inside the grade. Uf true, who knows how many.

[USU78]

1 hour ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I remember the two replica steam engines being there on that occasion, but it must be compressed memory with my later visits to the historic site, because I read a few days ago that the engines were not there until after 1969. 

Much later, when I worked for the Ogden Standard-Examiner, I would cover both the Golden Spike commemorations and the rocket motor tests at Morton Thiokol for the space shuttle program. Thiokol was on the highway on the way out   to Promontory. I thought it an interesting juxtaposition of two locales pertaining historically to transportation. 

You no doubt saw my father at the reenactments, playing his trumpet.

I was there at the centennial, too. Remember who the celebrity guest was?

[Scott Lloyd]

2 hours ago, USU78 said:

You no doubt saw my father at the reenactments, playing his trumpet.

I was there at the centennial, too. Remember who the celebrity guest was?

 

2 hours ago, USU78 said:

You no doubt saw my father at the reenactments, playing his trumpet.

I was there at the centennial, too. Remember who the celebrity guest was?

I’m afraid I don’t remember the guest. Or much more in terms of detail. But it was memorable enough to engrave the date in my mind: May 10, 1869. 

[USU78]

1 hour ago, Scott Lloyd said:

 

I’m afraid I don’t remember the guest. Or much more in terms of detail. But it was memorable enough to engrave the date in my mind: May 10, 1869. 

It was the Duke. John Wayne.

[Scott Lloyd]

10 hours ago, USU78 said:

It was the Duke. John Wayne.

Hmm. Seems like I would have remembered something like that. Maybe we weren’t there on the actual day of the celebration, or perhaps we came later in the day. I do know it had been 100 years and that since that first visit I’ve never had any trouble remembering the May 10 date. 

[USU78]

58 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Hmm. Seems like I would have remembered something like that. Maybe we weren’t there on the actual day of the celebration, or perhaps we came later in the day. I do know it had been 100 years and that since that first visit I’ve never had any trouble remembering the May 10 date. 

My father was very much involved in the planning and execution of the event.  He had reported to him how the limo ride from the airport went.  Apparently, the Duke decided to get out of the car up by the old Brigham City golf course (it's not there any more), walked around for a bit, and marveled at the Wellsville Mountains before getting back in the car for the last stretch out to the event.