Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Summit, about 45 minutes northwest of Brigham City, marks the spot where the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads met on 10 May 1869, completing the first transcontinental railroad across the United States. It was one of the defining moments of American westward expansion.
The visitor centre has exhibits and films on the construction of the railroad. During the summer season (May-September), working replicas of the Jupiter and No. 119 locomotives are on display, and rangers conduct daily re-enactment ceremonies. A driving tour follows the original railroad grades. The site is remote and wonderfully empty — on a quiet day you can stand at the junction point and hear nothing but wind and grasshoppers.