Anniversary ceremony will launch 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railway stamps

A new set of Forever stamps will be launched by the United States Postal Service at the anniversary event, which is open to members of the public.

Two separate stamps feature the Jupiter and the No. 119 locomotives that powered the trains carrying the officers and guests of the two train companies to the 'Golden Spike Ceremony' that the anniversary event commemorates. Centered between them, a third stamp portrays the famous golden spike that was a prominent part of the ceremony.  

The completion of the Transcontinental Railway

The creation of the transcontinental railroad during the 1860s was one of the great achievements of the era. The completion was marked by the “Golden Spike Ceremony,” held on May 10, 1869, when rail lines built by the Central Pacific from the west and the Union Pacific from the east were joined at Promontory Summit in Utah. 

A large immigrant labor force — including a majority of Chinese and Irish laborers — carried out most of the backbreaking and often dangerous work that made the achievement possible. The workforce, totaling more than 20,000 at its peak, also included immigrants from many nations — Germany, Italy, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Poland and others — as well as African-Americans and former Civil War soldiers from both the Union and Confederate armies. Many crews of Mormon workers helped make the final push across Utah. 

To register your attendance at the event, visit the USPS website.

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(image copyright USPS)