Golden Spike Monument

This attraction is one of those oddities that I just had to see. It is located in a little park area with benches, and a picnic table nearby. There is free street parking within a reasonable walking distance. The monument is located in the center of a plot of green space that is well maintained. The monument is enclosed by a fence and and has a paved walkway around it. The monument marks Milepost 0.0 of the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad and sits where a transfer and passenger station sat. It also, to a minor extent, is meant to address the controversy between Council Bluff and neighboring Omaha over where the railroad actually begin. Apparently, the dispute was bad enough that it had to be taken to court.The monument soars to 59 feet and weighs 243,200 pounds. It took 10 days to construct and was completed on April 26, 1939, which coincided with the premiere of the film "Union Pacific."The spike appears to be in great shape, especially considering its age. It is definitely worth a peak if you are in the area. Well, as with most monuments and memorials that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 10 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. You will find the Lincoln Monument nearby.

For U.S. history fans and railroad aficionado's, the Golden Spike Monument is the thing to see while in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It is located adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad main yard in Council Bluffs, IA. The large spike stands 56 feet tall and was "made out of 532 sacks of concrete, 67 cubic yards of granite rock, 38 cubic yards of sand and seven tons of reinforcing steel. Ten gallons of gold paint were used to twice coat the monument," said www.councilbluffslibrary.org. The spike was dedicated on April 28, 1939 with the premiere of the film "Union Pacific." It commemorates the junction of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific rail lines at the Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869. This Iowa memorial is "Mile Marker Zero" as the Eastern Terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad. Train buffs should go gaga over this and the one I was traveling with loved seeing this Mid-Western spike.AA Presidential Executive Order signed by President Abraham Lincoln in March 1864, gave birth to Council Bluffs playing a prominent role in train lore. The Memorial is kind of situated in an out-of-the-way spot but it is still worthy of a visit, if not to simply honor the great role played by the railroads in our illustrious nation's history.The Council Bluffs Park & Rec Dept. does a good job of keeping the Memorial grounds groomed. A nice 4 STAR YELP PLACE to stop at to pay your respects to the memory of the rails in the onward expansion of our great country.

There potential for this park is nearly limitless. It would be nice if the Parks Department could put in a paved lot and picnic tables. If the railroad could put in the old caboose from Ave G, it would allow for something for visitors to interact with. There spike itself is very nice, but it's potential outweighs the actual.