Student

Teacher's Packet Oral Histories Articles Historic Research Students	Promontory Point or Summit? Promontory means "a high point of land projecting into a body of water". The Promontory Mountians go almost 20 miles into the Great Salt Lake. At the tip of the mountians in the Great Salt Lake it is called Promontory Point. Then the Promontory Mountians go from the point 37 miles North where there is a pass through the Mountians. The high spot on the pass is called Promontory Summit. Then the Promontory Mountians go another 20 miles North from the Summit. Did the Transcontiental Railroad in 1869 go across the Great Salt Lake to the Point or did they go across land through the pass in the Promontory Mountains? Was the meeting of the East and West at the Point or the Summit?
Promontory Point…or Summit? Where was the nation's first transcontinental railroad completed? On May 10, 1869 ceremonious blows were made on the golden spike to unite the east and west. Since that day more than 131 years ago, the site of completion for the railroad has been referred to as Promontory Point. That is what we are told in text books, magazines, travel brochures, and many other publications. In reality, the transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit. A small town known as Promontory sprang up at the site. Both Promontory Summit and Promontory are correct when referring to the finishing point of the transcontinental railroad. Promontory Point is located thirty-seven miles south of the summit at the southern tip of the Promontory Mountain range. What happened there concerning the railroad in 1869?--NOTHING! This case of mistaken identity has lasted well over one hundred years. When the Lucin Cutoff was built (1902-04) a railroad finally crossed Promontory Point. But that was thirty-five years and several transcontinental railroads after the Golden Spike Ceremony was held at Promontory Summit.