![]() ![]() Eight years later, through Public Law 89-102, enacted July 30,1965, Congress authorized the acquisition of approximately 2,200 acres of land for the Site and placed it under the administration of the NPS. The Site consisted of seven acres of land owned by the Central Pacific Railway Company. Golden Spike National Historic Site was first designated a national historic site on April 2,1957, by Secretary of the Interior Fred Seaton using the authority of the 1935 Historic Sites Act. The Site offers a walking trail and two opportunities to drive the transcontinental railroad grade and see what workers were building in 1869, including the "10 Miles of Track, Laid in one Day" sign where the Central Pacific Railroad built 10 miles and 56 feet of track on April 28,1869. Thousands of people, including Civil War veterans, Buffalo Soldiers, Mormons, and American Indians, as well as immigrants from Ireland, China, and other nations, were employed in the railroad's construction, often toiling under the harshest of conditions in some of the most remote and difficult landscapes of the West. The legacy of this government-corporate partnership, and the fierce competition it spawned between rival railroad companies, is clearly reflected in the parallel grades and other features. The daunting task of construction across vast expanses of the country, within a relatively short time frame, required the government to forge creative partnerships with private corporations to accomplish this unprecedented construction feat. The transcontinental railroad was among the greatest technological feats of the 19th Century and represents one of the most ambitious and expensive projects ever undertaken by the federal government. These provide visitors with a unique opportunity to learn about the transcontinental railroad. The National Park Service (NPS) operates replica locomotives "Jupiter" and "No. It is the only System unit that preserves physical evidence of the technology and methods involved in construction, completion, and maintenance of the transcontinental railroad. ![]() Set in a vast open landscape mostly unchanged from 1869, the Site retains an unparalleled concentration of historic transcontinental railroad engineering features, archeological sites, and associated cultural landscape elements. The Site preserves 2,735 acres of land where the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad came together to form the first transcontinental railroad, linking the United States politically, economically and physically. Section 3 of both bills would redesignate Golden Spike National Historic Site (Site) as Golden Spike National Historical Park (Park) and include it in the Transcontinental Railroad Network that would be established by Section 4. 2831, but has concerns, as explained in this statement, and would like to work with the Committee on amendments to address those concerns. The Department supports the goals of the other provisions of H.R. As we approach the celebration of the 150 th anniversary of the May 10,1869, "Last Spike" ceremony marking the completion of the first transcontinental railway, this is a fitting time to enact this redesignation. The Department supports redesignating Golden Spike National Historic Site as Golden Spike National Historical Park, which is in keeping with Secretary Zinke's commitment to highlight less-visited units of the National Park System (System). 2831, bills to redesignate Golden Spike National Historic Site and to establish the Transcontinental Railroad Network. 2831, BILLS TO REDESIGNATE GOLDEN SPIKE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE AND TO ESTABLISH THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD NETWORKĬhairman Daines, Ranking Member King, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the Department of the Interior's views on H.R. ![]() DANIEL SMITH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, EXERCISING THE AUTHORITY OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE SENATE ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, CONCERNING H.R. ![]()
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