What hath God wrough
A few years ago I made a post excoriating Utah for choosing the Golden Spike as its representation in the 50 State Quarters Series.
Since then a few facts have come to my attention that have caused me to soften my position. I blame my Earl Grossen U.S. History Education. And the fact that Golden Spike is quite possibly the most boring Historic Site in the nation.
America in the mid-nineteenth century was less a unified country then an archipelago of loosely connected territories. The new state of California was so geographically distant it might as well have been on another continent.
A couple reference points: pioneers who embarked westward in the great migration of 1843 had to travel for 5 months along the Oregon trail just to reach the Pacific Ocean. Even the Pony Express, the fastest mail service at the time, could only relay a message between the two coasts in 10 days.
On May 10, 1869, the final spike was driven into the ground uniting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads at Promontory Summit, Utah. In just 25 years since the first wave of westward migration, the travel time had dramatically decreased to just 6 days (and for only $65). Simply an astonishing feat.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the first transcontinental railroad would come to serve as a technological and metaphorical force binding together a disparate and divided country.
A monumental moment in U.S. History? Yes.
A perfect distillation of the traditions and symbols of the state of Utah? I still don't think so.
Since then a few facts have come to my attention that have caused me to soften my position. I blame my Earl Grossen U.S. History Education. And the fact that Golden Spike is quite possibly the most boring Historic Site in the nation.
America in the mid-nineteenth century was less a unified country then an archipelago of loosely connected territories. The new state of California was so geographically distant it might as well have been on another continent.
A couple reference points: pioneers who embarked westward in the great migration of 1843 had to travel for 5 months along the Oregon trail just to reach the Pacific Ocean. Even the Pony Express, the fastest mail service at the time, could only relay a message between the two coasts in 10 days.
On May 10, 1869, the final spike was driven into the ground uniting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads at Promontory Summit, Utah. In just 25 years since the first wave of westward migration, the travel time had dramatically decreased to just 6 days (and for only $65). Simply an astonishing feat.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the first transcontinental railroad would come to serve as a technological and metaphorical force binding together a disparate and divided country.
A monumental moment in U.S. History? Yes.
A perfect distillation of the traditions and symbols of the state of Utah? I still don't think so.
posted by d l wright at 9/03/2009 09:42:00 PM
2 Comments:
I have nothing to add. But I'd like to say "nice post" since no one else has commented. Makes you wonder what a high-speed rail could do today. Preferably one with built-in Wi-Fi.
I would like to suggest that you get a student subscription to the Utah Historical Quarterly, its only 20 bucks and worth it.
http://history.utah.gov/historical_society/membership/index.html
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