Northern Pacific Railroad Completion Site, 1883 | |
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| Location | OffInterstate 90 Independence Creek,Montana |
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| Coordinates | 46°33′03″N112°51′36″W / 46.55083°N 112.86000°W /46.55083; -112.86000 |
| Area | 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001075[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 19, 1983 |
TheNorthern Pacific Railroad Completion Site is the location of the golden spike ceremony for the completion of theNorthern Pacific Railway (NP) in 1883. The site is located near Gold Creek inPowell County, Montana, offInterstate 90,[2] approximately 59 miles (95 km) southeast ofMissoula and 40 miles (64 km) west ofHelena.[3]
NP, owned in 1883 by a consortium of "blind pool" investors devised byHenry Villard,[4] was originally started byJay Cooke.[5] Cooke began building atranscontinental railroad route across the northern United States fromMinnesota to thePacific Coast in 1870. Crews built from both the eastern and western ends, progressing towards a yet undetermined meeting point somewhere in between. The two crews finally met near Independence Creek inWestern Montana on August 22, 1883,[6] which is nearGold Creek, where gold was first discovered in Montana.[7] At this point the track was connected, completing the transcontinental line; however, the "golden spike" completion ceremony would not occur until September 8.[6] Four trains carried 300 guests from the east, including the Northern Pacific's president, Henry Villard, Chairman of the NP's Executive Committee Frederick Billings[8] and visiting dignitaries from the United States, England, and Germany.[6] A fifth train arrived from the west coast.[9] The track which had been laid earlier was temporarily torn up to be relaid ceremoniously during the event. The final "golden spike" driven was not actually made of gold, but was the same spike that was driven to begin the construction of the Northern Pacific inCarlton, Minnesota, thirteen years earlier.[6][9] The spike was driven by Villard, former U.S. PresidentUlysses S. Grant, and Henry C. Davis, who had helped drive the first spike.[6][10][11]
In 1935, theDeerlodge National Forest erected a monument at the site.[12] The site was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1983.[1] A wooden sign marking the location still exists and can be seen from Interstate 90 near where Independence Creek runs into theClark Fork River.[3][13] The 2.5-acre (1.0 ha) site includes the site of the final spike, as well as the location where pavilions were constructed for the 1883 celebrations.[13]
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