Chinaman's Arch

Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah was established to commemorate the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad.

The Central Pacific Railroad, which snaked from California, and the Union Pacific Railroad—the largest railroad network in the U.S.—were joined on the site on May 10, 1869. The historic moment was finalized by the driving of a golden spike that connected both railroads.

A monument located near the site known as Chinaman’s Arch was renamed the Chinese Arch in honor of 19th century Chinese workers who helped build the railroad. The arch was likely formed by wave erosion along the shore of ancient Lake Bonnieville, a great freshwater lake that extensively flooded the eastern Great Basin region throughout Utah and Nevada.

—LiveScience Staff

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Credit: USGS