After the Golden Spike: Over 150 years of Maintenance and Preservation along the Promontory Branch of the Central Pacific Railroad Grade

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Promontory Branch of the Central Pacific Railroad, encompassing over 90 miles of the historic railroad grade, is significant for its well-preserved water divergence infrastructure. Cannon Heritage Consultants recently completed a full inventory of features, including photo-documentation and description, along this section of the Transcontinental Railroad and recorded over 160 culverts and trestles. We cross-referenced our results against historic bridge inspection records, which allowed us to identify temporal and spatial patterns of railroad maintenance, as well as highlighting primary threats to future preservation. After the past 150 years, many of these features remain as monuments to this historic achievement and the labor of thousands that made it possible. In addition to aiding in preservation and management efforts, our research will benefit the public through outreach and creation of resources such as story maps.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• 2020 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 926