WHAT: A 43-foot-tall Golden Spike, similar to those ceremonially used to complete the transcontinental railroad in 1869, has been commissioned by the Golden Spike Foundation to honor the tens of thousands of railroad workers who built the transcontinental railroad. The public art piece will begin its ceremonial journey across the United States - traveling from Kentucky to Utah along portions of the original railway route making a series of “whistle stops” along the way.
As the truck carrying the Golden Spike Monument rolls into cities and towns across America, events will be held in partnership with schools, railroad stations, and railroad museums to display the 7,000-pound public art piece and educate and inspire people to learn from the past and honor the memory of the thousands of workers who built the transcontinental railroad. Special educational displays and presentations and more will be part of the tour stops. For those lucky enough to spot it, the flatbed truck carrying the Monument will be emblazoned with information to follow it along on its “Driving of the Spike” route.
Next spring, the Monument will be touring the transcontinental railroad’s route from the west before it is permanently installed at the Golden Spike Park at Reeder Ranch, in Box Elder County, Utah.
WHY: The Monument portrays the images of railroad workers in “bas-reliefs” along the four sides of the giant golden spike. According to the artist, Douwe Blumberg, the artwork is intended to “give faces to the faceless” and celebrate the building of the railroad from the perspective of those who contributed so much to the triumphant feat. These workers, many of whom were immigrants attracted by steady employment, did back-breaking work, made horrific sacrifices, and used ingenuity to make the railroad a reality.
Douwe Blumberg and his team spent the previous 28 months creating the Monument in his studio in rural Kentucky.
WHO: Until the transcontinental railroad’s 150th anniversary celebration in 2019, the complete story of the building of the railroad had gone largely untold. The contribution of the thousands of workers had been ignored. The Golden Spike Foundation, who organized the Spike 150 celebration in Utah, wanted to set the record straight by telling the whole story. After the celebration, the foundation commissioned Douwe Blumberg to build the Golden Spike Monument as a way to continue telling this remarkable and relatable story through public art.
WHEN: The tour, which follows the route of the transcontinental railroad coming from the east, is as follows:
- Oct 5: Kickoff Event – Ashland - The Henry Clay Estate, Lexington, KY
- Oct 7: Whistle Stop – St. Louis Union Station, St. Louis, MO
- Oct 8: Whistle Stop – Union Station Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
- Oct 14: Whistle Stop – Union Pacific Railroad Museum, Council Bluffs, IA
- Oct 15: Whistle Stop – Golden Spike Tower, North Platte, NE On Display from 9:00am-5:00pm Special Event, including “Spike Art” from 2:00pm-5:00pm
- Oct 16: Artist Reception Breakfast – Golden Spike Tower 8:30am-10:00am, Special Short Presentation at 9:00am
- Oct 17: Whistle Stop – Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, CO
- Oct 21: Whistle Stop – Cheyenne Depot Museum, Cheyenne, WY
- Oct 23: Whistle Stop – Community Art Center, Rock Springs, WY
- Oct 24: Welcome and VIP Event – Utah State Capitol, Salt Lake City, UT