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Reporting the big event--the East and West have been joined...



Item # 678384

May 11, 1869

NEW YORK TRIBUNE, May 11, 1869 

* Completing the Transcontinental railroad
* Last spike driven at Promontory Point


The front page has 1 1/2 columns taken up with this historic reporting of the completion of the transcontinental railroad which officially happened the day before.
The top of the first column has heads: "THE PACIFIC RAILROAD" "The Official Announcement of Its Completion". It includes this rather famous dispatch from Leland Stanford of the Central Pacific Railroad, which reads, from Promontory Point, Utah: "The last rail is laid! The last spike driven! The Pacific Railroad is completed! The point of junction is 1086 miles west of the Missouri River and 600 miles east of Sacramento City." This is followed by other reporting headed: "Interesting Proceedings in the Washington Telegraph Office" and "Reception of the News in this City--Services at Trinity Church--Congratulatory Messages, etc." and a bit more.
Complete in 8 pages, a few discrete archival mends at margins, good condition.

Category: Post-Civil War