58-600: Promontory is an area of high ground in Box Elder County, Utah , United States, 32 mi (51 km) west of Brigham City and 66 mi (106 km) northwest of Salt Lake City . Rising to an elevation of 4,902 feet (1,494 m) above sea level , it lies to the north of the Promontory Mountains and the Great Salt Lake . It is notable as the location of Promontory Summit , where
116-558: A graduate or professional degree . As of the 2010 census , there were 49,975 people, 16,058 households, and 12,891 families in the county. The population density was 8.70 people per square mile (3.36 people/km ). There were 17,326 housing units at an average density of 3.02 units per square mile (1.17 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 91.77% White , 0.34% Black or African American , 0.82% Native American , 0.89% Asian , 0.17% Pacific Islander , 3.77% from other races , and 2.24% from two or more races. 8.31% of
174-467: A Chinese section gang, and gravel train crew. By June 1870, the population at Promontory Summit had been reduced to about 120 people. Most were employees of the CP railroad. The only exceptions were a hotel/eatery owner, his family, and 80 miners of copper sulfate. Almost immediately CP began an extensive redevelopment of the rail infrastructure on and through Promontory Summit. The CP realigned about 10 miles of
232-722: A Series of Photographic Views Across the Continent Taken Along the Line of the Union Pacific Railroad, West from Omaha, Nebraska. With an Annotated Table of Contents, Giving a Brief Description of Each View; Its Peculiarities, Characteristics, and Connection with the Different Points on the Road . His training as a painter provided the foundation for this series of views, which laid out the promise of
290-700: A camera that he borrowed from Fowx and Colonel Herman Haupt . Haupt used Russell's photographs to illustrate his reports. Haupt arranged to have Russell removed from his regiment on March 1, 1863, so that he could photograph for the United States Military Railroad and the Quartermaster Corps , until he mustered out in September 1865. Russell was the only military officer to photograph for the War Department during
348-450: A single person living alone and 587 (3.1%) were two or more people living together. 7,722 (41.3%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 14,543 (77.9%) of households were owner-occupied while 4,135 (22.1%) were renter-occupied . The median income for a Box Elder County household was $ 63,573 and the median family income was $ 73,446, with a per-capita income of $ 25,835. The median income for males that were full-time employees
406-678: A special spike maul sporting a solid silver head into pre-drilled holes in the Laurelwood tie); one was the golden spike issued by Californian David Hewes, one was a second solid gold spike issued by the San Francisco Newsletter Newspaper, one was a solid silver spike issued by the State of Nevada, and one was an iron spike plated with silver on the shaft and gold on the top issued by Arizona Territory and presented by Arizona Territorial Governor Anson P.K. Safford from
464-506: A two-day delay, when Durant's train arrived at the Devil's Gate Bridge in Wyoming, floodwaters turned a mild creek into a raging torrent, which threatened to collapse the railroad bridge. The engineer would not take his locomotive, whose number is lost to history, across the rickety structure, but he gave each of the passenger cars a hefty heave. The cars coasted across, but Durant no longer had
522-617: A way to get to Promontory. A hasty telegraph to Ogden, Utah Territory, sent Union Pacific's engine "119" to the rescue. After a hearty party in Ogden the night of May 9, the dignitaries arrived at Promontory Summit on the morning of May 10, where the Golden Spike Ceremony was finally planned and took place, with the last iron spike driven at 12:47 PM. The trains carrying the railroads' officials were drawn by Union Pacific's No. 119 and Central Pacific's No. 60 (officially named
580-564: Is home to two regional campuses of Utah State University (located in Brigham City and Tremonton ). The county was created by the Utah Territory legislature on January 5, 1856, with the territory partitioned from Weber County . Its boundaries were altered in 1862 by adjustments between counties and in 1866 when all its area in the now-existent state of Nevada (which had gained territorial status in 1861 and statehood in 1864)
638-409: Is open throughout the year. Several walking trails and audio driving tours allow visitors to see the old cuts along the permanent way, highlighting the effort needed to construct the railroad over Promontory Summit. On every Saturday and holiday between May 1 and Labor Day , the two replica locomotives are lined up to re-enact the "Golden Spike" ceremony. On the 150th anniversary of the completion of
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#1732772850079696-731: Is the fourth-largest county in Utah by area. In the east lie the Wellsville Mountains , a branch of the Wasatch Range . In the west is a large, mostly uninhabited desert area. The Great Salt Lake lies in the southeastern corner of the county. The combined Interstate 15 / Interstate 84 runs northward in the eastern part of the county. The two routes diverge at Tremonton , with I-84 heading northwest past Snowville into central and western Idaho and I-15 heading north past Plymouth and Portage into eastern Idaho. According to
754-601: The Jupiter ) locomotives, neither of which had been originally chosen for the ceremony. The Central Pacific had originally chosen their no. 29 Antelope to attend the ceremony, while the Union Pacific had also chosen another, unidentified engine for their train, but both engines encountered mishaps en route to the ceremony. On May 10, the Jupiter and 119 were drawn up face-to-face on Promontory Summit, separated only by
812-636: The 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey , there were 57,666 people in Box Elder County with a population density of 10.0 people per square mile (3.9/km ). Among non- Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 49,361 (85.6%) White , 161 (0.3%) African American , 383 (0.7%) Native American , 438 (0.8%) Asian , 98 (0.2%) Pacific Islander , 102 (0.2%) from other races , and 1,586 (2.8%) from two or more races . 5,537 (9.6%) people were Hispanic or Latino. There were 29,190 (50.62%) males and 28,476 (49.38%) females, and
870-813: The Missouri River by boat between Council Bluffs, Iowa , and Omaha, Nebraska , until the Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge was built in March 1872. In the meantime, the first uninterrupted coast-to-coast railroad was established in August 1870 at Strasburg, Colorado , with the completion of the Denver extension of the Kansas Pacific Railway . Promontory was the site of Promontory City during and shortly after
928-611: The first transcontinental railroad in the United States, from Sacramento to Omaha , was officially completed on May 10, 1869. The location is sometimes confused with Promontory Point , a location further south along the southern tip of the Promontory Mountains. Both locations are significant to the Overland Route : Promontory Summit was where the original, now abandoned, alignment crossed just north of
986-463: The first transcontinental railroad occurred at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. The Spiral Jetty , an earthwork sculpture by Robert Smithson , was built on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake in Box Elder County in 1970. On November 19, 2005, sculptor Zaq Landsberg declared his plot to be independent from the United States, creating the Republic of Zaqistan . Box Elder County lies at
1044-691: The right of way , agreed to give its holdings to the federal management. On July 30, 1965 the Act for the Golden Spike National Historic Site was signed into law. The area is administered by the National Park Service . On the 110th anniversary of the "Golden Spike" on May 10, 1979, two purpose-built replicas of the UP #119 and the Jupiter #60 were brought together on a specially relaid 1.5-mile section of track. As
1102-721: The winding curves and up steep grades to the Promontory summit. This changed when the Southern Pacific , which had acquired Central Pacific operations in 1885, built a wooden railroad trestle across the Great Salt Lake between Ogden and Lucin , between February 1902 and March 1904. The 102.9 mi (165.6 km) Lucin Cutoff completely bypassed Promontory Summit. The last regularly scheduled transcontinental passenger train to pass through Promontory station
1160-471: The 1950s, the wooden trestle was replaced with a parallel concrete-stone causeway built by the Morrison–Knudsen construction company. Southern Pacific continued to maintain the wooden trestle as a backup for several decades, although its last significant rail traffic was in the early 1960s. By the 1980s, the trestle's condition had begun to seriously deteriorate. Beginning in March 1993, the timber from
1218-493: The 19th century, Promontory Station was used by large ranching firms, such as those of John W. Kerr, John L. Edwards, and Charles Crocker , to ship their cattle to the stockyards in San Francisco and Chicago . At the turn of the 20th century, wheat farmers had begun to change the landscape around Promontory with farms and families. Promontory had a one-room school, as well as a commercial store/post office; it had become
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#17327728500791276-812: The American Civil War. He is perhaps best known for "Confederate dead Behind the Stone Wall" and another photograph stated before taken during the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 3, 1863. Russell photographed the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad in Wyoming and Utah Territories during 1868, as their official photographer. He published these photographs in numerous forms, including as an album with 50 tipped in albumen prints and accompanying text: The Great West Illustrated in
1334-652: The CPRR ( Central Pacific Railroad ) management. Three of the eight Chinese workers who brought up the last rail were guests of honor at the Promontory Summit's golden anniversary celebrations in Ogden, Utah in May 1919. The event at Promontory Summit was billed as the "wedding of the rails" and was officiated by the Reverend John Todd. Four precious metal spikes were ceremoniously driven (gently tapped with
1392-511: The NW corner of the county slopes to the north, allowing runoff from that area to flow to the Snake River drainage . The county's highest point is a mountain ridge near the NW corner, at 9,180 ft (2,800 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 6,729 square miles (17,430 km ), of which 5,746 square miles (14,880 km ) is land and 984 square miles (2,550 km ) (15%) is water. It
1450-863: The Promontory Mountains; while Promontory Point is where the modern alignment, called the Lucin Cutoff , crosses the southern tip of the Promontory Mountains. By the summer of 1868, the Central Pacific (CP) had completed the first rail route through the Sierra Nevada mountains, and was now moving down towards the Interior Plains and the Union Pacific (UP) line. More than 4,000 workers, of whom two thirds were Chinese , had laid more than 100 mi (160 km) of track at altitudes above 7,000 ft (2,100 m). In May 1869,
1508-618: The Spike with the pommel of his sword four times on the ride back to California. Nobody tried to fully drive 17.6 Carat Solid Gold Spikes or any of the precious metal spikes into a wooden tie. Four holes had been drilled into the Laurelwood tie to "hold" the spikes while Stanford and UPRR's Thomas Durant gently tapped them before the Spikes and the Laurelwood Tie were removed to make way for a regular pine wood tie and four regular iron spikes,
1566-669: The Territorial Capitol of Prescott. In 1898, the golden 'Hewes' spike was donated to the Leland Stanford Junior University Museum . In one account, the second Golden Spike and the Laurelwood Tie were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire , which also destroyed the San Francisco Newsletter Newspaper Offices where these artifacts were on display. In Union Pacific's account,
1624-779: The Union Army during the Civil War. By 1869 he had in fact Later that year he traveled to California to photograph locations on the Central Pacific Railroad and returned to New York City at the end of 1869. In New York, Russell established a design studio and worked as a photojournalist for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper through the early 1890s. On October 17, 1850, Russell married Catherine Adelia Duryee, daughter of Lanah (née Conklin) and William Reynex Duryee. They had two daughters, Cora Phillips and Harriet M. Russell. Russell's fragmented family life
1682-680: The accompanying erasure of Native American presence; Native Americans do not appear in this album, which viewed the West as a "tabula rasa" upon with the country's future could be built. In 1869 he returned to Utah Territory to photograph the completion of the First transcontinental railroad , or "golden spike" on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory . for this work, Russell used his single-view camera. Russell took five group portraits that day, at least two were "...sent to New York as news pictures and arrived in time to be copied by engravers for
1740-427: The construction of the transcontinental railroad. However, by December 1869, the shops, tents, and store fronts were being dismantled as the traders and merchants moved to other towns. In January 1870, the train crews from the CP and UP had been relocated to Ogden, Utah, where Union Station had effectively become the meeting point of the two railroads. Promontory Station had a CP station agent and telegraph operator ,
1798-569: The county selected the Democratic Party candidate, and the last Democrat to obtain one-quarter of the county's vote was Hubert Humphrey in 1968. Andrew J. Russell Andrew Joseph Russell (March 20, 1829 – September 22, 1902) was an American photographer of the American Civil War and the Union Pacific Railroad . Russell photographed construction of the Union Pacific (UP) in 1868 and 1869. Andrew J. Russell
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1856-541: The following month as Captain in Company F, 141st New York Volunteer Regiment. In February 1863, Russell took an interest in photography and paid civilian photographer Egbert Guy Fowx $ 300 to teach him the collodion wet-plate process . Fowx was a free-lance photographer who worked both for photographer Mathew Brady and for the United States Department of War . Russell took his first photographs with
1914-510: The front page of the June 5 issue of Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper." These photographs and others have value today "... principally as sources for the identification of persons." One photograph shows a rank of sixteen men under the title " Engineers of U.P.R.R. at the Laying of Last Rail Promentory (sic)." This famous photograph of the meeting of the rails, celebrated the joining of East and West,
1972-558: The last one was wired to the Transcontinental Telegraph Line. Stanford and Durant were supposed to strike the last iron spike with a regular iron spike hammer, also wired to the Telegraph Line, to send a signal from coast-to-coast as the job was done. Stanford missed the Spike, hitting the wooden tie instead; however, the telegraph operator hit his key as though Stanford had hit the spike. Durant missed
2030-406: The location of the "second, lower-quality golden spike ...faded into obscurity". Stanford University loaned the original 1869 gold spike to Cecil B. DeMille for the film Union Pacific (1939). It was held aloft in the scene commemorating the actual event, although a brass prop was used for the hammering sequence. The only marks on The Golden Spike were caused by a Union Army Officer who struck
2088-489: The main crossroads stop for small farms. However, during the droughts of the 1930s , individual farmers moved away from Promontory, leading to the consolidation of their lands into large holdings. Although Union Pacific engineers had initially considered a direct route across the Great Salt Lake , cost and schedule constraints forced them to opt for the surveyed line through Promontory. As trains became longer and heavier, additional engines were often required to pull them along
2146-429: The northwest corner of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of Nevada and its north border abuts the south border of the state of Idaho . Its territory includes large tracts of barren desert, contrasted by high, forested mountains. The Wasatch Front lies along the south-eastern border, where the main cities are found. The terrain generally slopes to the south (toward the Great Salt Lake ), although
2204-601: The northwestern corner of Utah , United States. At the 2020 census , the population was 57,666, up from the 2010 figure of 49,975. Its county seat and largest city is Brigham City . The county was named for the box elder trees that abound in the county. Box Elder County is part of the Ogden - Clearfield , UT Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Salt Lake City - Provo - Orem , UT Combined Statistical Area . Box Elder County. Box Elder County
2262-406: The occasion. A traditional Chinese lion dance opened the ceremony. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao (the first person of Chinese descent to hold the position), paid tribute to those Chinese workers. 41°37′07″N 112°32′51″W / 41.61861°N 112.54750°W / 41.61861; -112.54750 Box Elder County, Utah Box Elder County is a county at
2320-463: The original Jupiter had been scrapped for iron in 1901 and No. 119 had been broken up two years later, the two replica locomotives were built in California with $ 1.5 million of federal funds. They were reconstructed using scaled-up measurements taken from photographs of the original engines and reference to similar engines of the time. The park, which has a visitor center and an engine house,
2378-516: The original UP line east of Promontory Summit (on grade CP had surveyed) in 1870, replacing some of the UP’s steep grades and tight curves; in addition it got a roundhouse and turntable , a freight depot and locomotive yard . It also gained extensive support facilities for railroad workers, including an eating car, engine helper station, and quarters for the Chinese section crew. In the final decades of
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2436-550: The population distribution by age was 18,255 (31.7%) under the age of 18, 31,620 (54.8%) from 18 to 64, and 7,791 (13.5%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 33.0 years. There were 18,678 households in Box Elder County with an average size of 3.09 of which 14,609 (78.2%) were families and 4,069 (21.8%) were non-families. Among all families, 11,985 (64.2%) were married couples , 969 (5.2%) were male householders with no spouse, and 1,655 (8.9%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 3,482 (18.6%) were
2494-430: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 16,058 households, out of which 41.32% had children under 18 living with them, 67.44% were married couples living together, 8.69% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.72% were non-families. 17.16% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.39% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
2552-624: The railheads of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads finally met at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory . A specially-chosen Chinese and Irish crew had taken only 12 hours to lay the final 10 mi (16 km) of track in time for the ceremony. Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, had been agreed upon as the point where the two railheads would officially meet, following meetings in Washington, D.C., in April 1869, where it
2610-507: The railroad on May 10, 2019, the contributions of the 15,000 Chinese railroad workers were finally acknowledged. Records of the Chinese railroad workers had not been kept and it is believed thousands of people died laying those tracks due to the treacherous territory, including having to cut through the cold of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and the heat of the desert. Many descendants of the Chinese workers were at Promontory Summit for
2668-453: The reduction of a perilous 6 month wagon journey across the US to one that would take a mere 6 days, yet did not include any of the 11,000 Chinese laborers who had laid the tracks across the Sierra Nevada and the desert and into Utah. This ceremony marked the end of Russell's tenure as the official photographer of the Union Pacific railroad, a position he had taken after filling the same post for
2726-437: The result of the timing of the famous photograph: The more famous A.J. Russell photograph could not include the Chinese workers photographed earlier participating in the joining of the rails ceremony, because at the moment the famous photo was being taken it was after the conclusion of the ceremony and the Chinese workers were away from the two locomotives to dine at J.H. Strobridge's boarding car, being honored and cheered by
2784-836: The site where the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed May 10, 1869, from Omaha to Sacramento, but not "from the Missouri river to the Pacific" as called for by the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 . Western Pacific completed the final leg from Sacramento to San Francisco Bay on September 6, 1869, with the last spike at the Mossdale Bridge spanning the San Joaquin River near Lathrop, California . Passengers had to cross
2842-416: The spike and the tie entirely; but likewise, the operator hit his key so the Nation would not know the difference. Then the operator sent the message D-O-N-E! With the railroad's completion, a trip across the Nation went from up to six months on foot, on an animal, or in an animal-pulled wagon to as little as eight days from city of New York, via railroads and ferries, to San Francisco. Promontory Summit marks
2900-404: The trestle has been salvaged and removed. By the early 1950s, a number of re-enactments of the driving of the last spike had been held at Promontory Summit. The renewed interest led to a concerted effort to save the historic site. In 1957, local campaigners succeeded in getting the area recognized by the federal government, but without federal land ownership. The Southern Pacific, which still owned
2958-406: The western landscape. While some of the images were truly romantic evocations of the West, others depicted construction sites or inhospitable landscapes; only the captions could remind viewers of the "finest trout" in the rivers or the "luxurious growth of grass, wild rye, barley" that might feed future inhabitants. This album, like others of its time, perpetuated the notion of Manifest Destiny , and
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#17327728500793016-416: The width of a single tie. It is unknown how many people attended the event; estimates run from as low as 500 to as many as 3,000 government and railroad officials and track workers. Historians opine that the lack of Chinese workers seen in the official portrait was due to racism, since anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States prevailed over many decades including the late 1860s. Their absence may have been
3074-432: Was $ 52,960 and for females $ 36,673. 7.9% of the population and 6.4% of families were below the poverty line . In terms of education attainment, out of the 32,717 people in Box Elder County 25 years or older, 2,325 (7.1%) had not completed high school , 9,937 (30.4%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 12,701 (38.8%) had some college or associate degree , 5,656 (17.3%) had a bachelor's degree , and 2,098 (6.4%) had
3132-534: Was 3.09, and the average family size was 3.50. The county population contained 36.60% under the age of 20, 5.55% from 20 to 24, 25.37% from 25 to 44, 21.35% from 45 to 64, and 11.13% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.59 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 96.61 males. As of 2015, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Box Elder County were: Box Elder voters are overwhelmingly Republican. In no national election since 1944 has
3190-442: Was also agreed that a ceremony would be held to drive in the Last Spike to commemorate the occasion. However, the original date of May 8 had to be postponed for two days because of bad weather and a labor dispute on the Union Pacific side. Over 400 laid-off unpaid graders and tie cutters chained U.P.R.R. Vice-President Thomas Durant's dignitary railcar to a siding in Piedmont, Wyoming, until he wired for money to pay them. After almost
3248-463: Was born March 20, 1829, in Walpole, New Hampshire , as the son of Harriet (née Robinson) and Joseph Russell. He was raised in Nunda, New York . He took an early interest in painting and executed portraits and landscapes for family members and for local public figures. During the first two years of the Civil War, Russell painted a diorama used to recruit soldiers for the Union Army . On August 22, 1862, he volunteered at Elmira, New York , mustering in
3306-400: Was formally partitioned. The county boundaries were finally altered in 1880 by adjustments between Salt Lake and Weber counties. Its boundary has remained unchanged since 1880. The California Trail followed Goose Creek from a point just north of the Idaho/Utah border southwest across northwestern Box Elder County to Little Goose Creek in northeastern Elko County, Nevada. The link-up of
3364-411: Was on Sunday, September 18, 1904. When the Great Depression led to a dramatic fall in revenues from railroad traffic, the Southern Pacific decided to abandon the line when it failed to meet its operating costs. On September 8, 1942, an "unspiking" ceremony was held to commemorate the lifting of the last rail over Promontory Summit; the old steel rails were used for the war effort in World War II . In
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