A 3-cent violet stamp issued on May 10, 1944 commemorates the 75th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in America. The design depicts the 'Golden Spike' ceremony at Promontory, Utah, where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads came together in 1869 to establish a transcontinental link. A locomotive under steam dominates the scene. Four ceremonial spikes were driven, two of gold and two of alloys. The ceremonial spikes were removed and replaced with ordinary spikes after the ceremony.
Gordon T. Trotter
