This listing is for Various – The Golden Spike Centennial Celebration Commission Vinyl 2xLP Record Album Mark56 558.

Label: Mark56 Records – 558

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold

Country: US

Released: 1969

Producer: A George Garabedian Production

Genre: Pop, Brass & Military, Folk, World, & Country

Style: Brass Band, Spoken Word, Historical  

Condition:   Jacket:   Very Good           Vinyl:   Very Good

Tracklist:

A1 Victor Jory - Building of the First Transcontinental Railroad

B1 Carl Sandburg Sings & Reads - Southern Pacific

B2 Carl Sandburg Sings & Reads - Omaha

B3 Carl Sandburg Sings & Reads - If I Die A Railroad Man

B4 Carl Sandburg Sings & Reads - Jerry, Go Idle That Car

B5 Carl Sandburg Sings & Reads - There's Many A Man Killed On The Railroad

B6 Carl Sandburg Sings & Reads - C.C. Rider

B7 Ed Begley Recites The Walt Whitman Favorite: To A Locomotive In Winter

C1 Bob Florence Contemporary Big Band Sounds - Chattanooga Choo-Choo

C2 Bob Florence Contemporary Big Band Sounds - Union Pacific #119

C3 Bob Florence Contemporary Big Band Sounds - Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe

C4 Bob Florence Contemporary Big Band Sounds - Jupiter

C5 Bob Florence Contemporary Big Band Sounds - Take The "A" Train

D1 The Original Joplin Forte Sing Traditional Railroad Songs - John Henry

D2 The Original Joplin Forte Sing Traditional Railroad Songs - Waiting For A Train

D3 The Original Joplin Forte Sing Traditional Railroad Songs - Wreck Of Old '97

D4 The Original Joplin Forte Sing Traditional Railroad Songs - Wabash Cannon Ball

D5 The Original Joplin Forte Sing Traditional Railroad Songs - Promontory 1869

D6 The Original Joplin Forte Sing Traditional Railroad Songs - Rock Island Line

The golden spike (also known as The Last Spike) is the ceremonial 17.6-karat gold final spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento and the Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The term last spike has been used to refer to one driven at the usually ceremonial completion of any new railroad construction projects, particularly those in which construction is undertaken from two disparate origins towards a common meeting point. The spike is now displayed in the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. Completing the last link in the transcontinental railroad with a spike of gold was the brainchild of David Hewes, a San Francisco financier and contractor. The spike had been manufactured earlier that year especially for the event by the William T. Garratt Foundry in San Francisco. Two of the sides were engraved with the names of the railroad officers and directors. A special tie of polished California laurel was chosen to complete the line where the spike would be driven. The ceremony was originally to be held on May 8, 1869 (the date actually engraved on the spike), but it was postponed two days because of bad weather and a labor dispute that delayed the arrival of the Union Pacific side of the rail line. On May 10, in anticipation of the ceremony, Union Pacific No. 119 and Central Pacific No. 60 (better known as the Jupiter) locomotives were drawn up face-to-face on Promontory Summit. 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 were present to witness the event. Before the last spike was driven, three other commemorative spikes, presented on behalf of the other three members of the Central Pacific's Big Four who did not attend the ceremony, had been driven in the pre-bored laurel tie:

• a second, lower-quality gold spike, supplied by the San Francisco News Letter, was made of $200 worth of gold and inscribed: With this spike the San Francisco News Letter offers its homage to the great work which has joined the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

• a silver spike, supplied by the State of Nevada; forged, rather than cast, of 25 troy ounces (780 g) of unpolished silver.

• a blended iron, silver and gold spike, supplied by the Arizona Territory, engraved: Ribbed with iron clad in silver and crowned with gold Arizona presents her offering to the enterprise that has banded a continent and dictated a pathway to commerce. This spike was given to Union Pacific President Oliver Ames following the ceremony. The spike was donated to the Museum of the City of New York in 1943, by a descendant of Sidney Dillon. It was, for a time, on display at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Museum of the City of New York sold the spike in January 2023, via sale, to benefit other items in its collection. The winning bid totaled US$2.2 million

The golden spike was made of 17.6-karat (73%) copper-alloyed gold, and weighed 14.03 troy ounces (436 g). It was dropped into a pre-drilled hole in the laurel ceremonial last tie, and gently tapped into place with a silver ceremonial spike maul. The spike was engraved on all four sides:

• The Pacific Railroad ground broken January 8, 1863, and completed May 8, 1869.

• Directors of the C. P. R. R. of Cal. Hon. Leland Stanford. C. P. Huntington. E. B. Crocker. Mark Hopkins. A. P. Stanford. E. H. Miller Jr.

Officers. Hon. Leland Stanford. Presdt. C. P. Huntington Vice Presdt. E. B. Crocker. Atty. Mark Hopkins. Tresr. Chas Crocker Gen. Supdt. E. H. Miller Jr. Secty. S. S. Montague. Chief Engr.

• May God continue the unity of our Country, as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world. Presented by David Hewes San Francisco.

The spike was removed immediately after being hammered in to prevent it from being stolen. A second golden spike, exactly like the one from the ceremony (except for the date), was cast at the same time, and probably engraved at a later time with the correct Promontory date of May 10, 1869. It has been noted that the first Golden Spike engraving appeared "rushed", and the Hewes family spike lettering appeared more polished. It was held, unknown to the public, by the Hewes family until 2005. This second spike is now on permanent display, along with Thomas Hill's famous painting The Last Spike, at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. With the locomotives drawn so near, the crowd pressed so closely around Stanford and the other railroad officials that the ceremony became somewhat disorganized, leading to varying accounts of the actual events. On the Union Pacific side, thrusting westward, the last two rails were laid by Irishmen; on the Central Pacific side, thrusting eastward, the last two rails were laid by the Chinese! A.J. Russell stereoview No. 539 shows the "Chinese at Laying Last Rail UPRR". Eight Chinese workers laid the last rail, and three of these men, Ging Cui, Wong Fook, and Lee Shao, lived long enough to also participate in the 50th anniversary parade. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the participating Chinese workers were honored and cheered by the CPRR officials and that road's construction chief, J.H. Strobridge, at a dinner in his private car. To drive the final spike, Stanford lifted a silver spike maul and drove the spike into the tie, completing the line. Stanford and Hewes missed the spike, but the single word "done" was nevertheless flashed by telegraph around the country. In the United States, the event has come to be considered one of the first nationwide media events. The locomotives were moved forward until their cowcatchers met, and photographs were taken. Immediately afterwards, the golden spike and the laurel tie were removed, lest they be stolen, and replaced with a regular iron spike and normal tie. At exactly 12:47 pm, the last iron spike was driven, finally completing the line. After the ceremony, the Golden Spike was donated to the Stanford Museum (now Cantor Arts Center) in 1898. The last laurel tie was destroyed in the fires caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

CONDITION Descriptions:

I base the condition of each of my Records off of's Grading System. 

• MINT (M) Looks new and unplayed. Very high vinyl luster and no noticeable label defects. Sounds new. With 45rpm records, this does not always mean there is no surface noise at all. 

• NEAR MINT (NM) Looks almost new, but has some minor flaws such as a drill hole; unobtrusive writing on label (e.g., an X on a promo copy); minor scuffing on vinyl; minor color flaking on label, or other insignificant flaws that only slightly detract from visual appeal. May have some minor surface noise, but nothing distracting. 

• VERY GOOD (VG) There may be light scuffing and some of the original vinyl luster may be lost. The vinyl and label may appear used, but well cared for. Records may have some more obvious flaws that are not visually degrading such as a sticker on the label; more noticeable writing on the label; scuffing and minor scratches on the vinyl; or minor discoloration of the label. There may be very minor warping of the vinyl. There may be a slight scratch not affecting play. 

• GOOD (G) Record has visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, minor surface scratches, groove wear, and audible surface noise. Appears well used but not abused. May have a few major flaws, such as scratches, label tears, or stickers, and/or writing. 

• FAIR (F) Appears well used and somewhat abused. Audio is not great due to surface noise and scratches. The record may have a stick or a skip. Records in this condition are those you might purchase to fill a hole in your collection until a better copy comes along. 

• POOR (P) Well played with little luster and significant surface noise, but still not cracked or broken. Record likely skips and/or sticks. Typically so bad looking that a true “collector” would just toss it out. More useful as a Frisbee. I try not to sell records in this condition.

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