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Visitor
Center
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Films
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Ranger
Presentations
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Big
Fill Walk
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Auto
Tour
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Steam
Locomotives
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Nearby
Attractions
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Drill
Mark
- At Golden Spike there are many reminders of
the mammoth construction effort that took place
across the Promontory Mountains in 1868-69. The
very grade that the Big Fill Walk is on was
originally constructed during this time, but
there are smaller, more personal reminders, such
as drillmarks which are a remnant of the cutting
process.
To make cuts, a two man team called "double
jackers" drilled holes in the solid rock using a
long, narrow drill rod which was repeatedly
struck with a sledge hammer, or double jack.
After a hole of about twenty inches was drilled,
a "powder monkey" would fill it with black
powder, carefully tamp and fuse the powder, and
set off the charge. A successful blast would
reduce the rock to a proper size for shoveling
into mule drawn dumpcarts and taken to the
fills.
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