The Last Spike for the Great Northern
Without fanfare, the transcontinental link is finished in the Cascades, promising a new era for Seattle.
The last spike of the Great Northern tracklaying was driven this evening, thirteen miles below the summit of Stevens Pass, on the western slope of the Cascades. The only officials present were General Superintendent C. Shields and Superintendent J. D. Farrell. As the last rail was brought forward and laid in position, Mr. Shields and Mr. Farrell took the spike-mauls from the spikers' hands, and with alternate blows drove home the last spike. It was not golden, but only iron. So unpretentiously was it done that the laborers ten rods away were not aware of it until the little group set up a wild hurrah. The engineers took the cue, and the hoarse whistles of the great Moguls sounded and reverberated through the canyon of the Skykomish. This occasion was Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's combined for the workers who have been pushing through rain and snow for months. Within two days the entire road will be surfaced and in good condition for running trains. On January 20, transcontinental freight service will be started, and through passenger trains from St. Paul will be put on a month later.
“It was not golden, but only iron. So unpretentiously was it done that the laborers ten rods away were not aware of it until the little group on the spot set up a wild hurrah.”
The completion of the Great Northern established Seattle as a major transcontinental terminal, shifting the city's destiny from a frontier outpost to a global trade hub. Today, the route is part of BNSF's massive rail artery, and the debate continues over how rail infrastructure shapes—and sometimes divides—our urban landscape.
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