On this day in US history, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met in Utah to drive the last ceremonial railroad spike that connected the line to make transcontinental travel possible for the first time in history on May 10, 1869. Despite the adversity, railroad workers finished the project by laying nearly 2,000 miles of track. Journeys that would have taken weeks to months longer by wagon train or boat now only took days with this rail system.