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Admirers of a past railroad era got a chance Saturday to see the 8444 steam locomotive, which was first used in 1944 to haul freight. The locomotive was brought out of storage by Union Pacific Railroad and displayed at the tracks near the Golden…

The old Union Pacific 8444 rolled into Council Bluffs Friday morning on its way from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Omaha. A little out of the way? Well, the 451-ton engine is one of the world's largest operating steam locomotives and had to be turned around in…

New Diesel Engine House...whose site is roughly shown here is part of a $2,500,000 improvement project for the Union Pacific Railroad yards in Council Bluffs. Access tracks to the new engine house will necessitate relocation of the stock yards, lower…

Union Pacific Railroad yards in Council Bluffs, looking towards the southwest. The road in the foreground where the railroad tracks cross is Ninth Avenue. The Golden Spike Monument is at middle right.

It took 5 days to erect this monument in 1939. Towering 56 feet above the ground, it commemorates an incident in railroad history that had a vital effect on the development of Council Bluffs. The late Jack Boyne, city engineer, designed the monument.…

A major attraction of UP's Golden Spike Centennial Expo Train that will visit Council Bluffs Sept. 26-27-28 is the colorful Expo car. It houses 19 displays telling the story of the building of the railroad from the earliest surveys right up to the…

The Golden Spike Monument, Council Bluffs, IA
April 1939

On May 10th, 1869, the last spike . . a Golden Spike . . was driven and America was united by the transcontinental Pacific Railway. The Union Pacific's locomotive No. 119 and the Central Pacific's "Jupiter" inched together, finally touching nose to…

Golden Spike . . . Ninth Avenue and Twenty-first Street

Sketch Of Plans . . . for the Golden Spike monument. The drawing at left shows how the Junior Chamber of Commerce will beautify the grounds. The sketch at right is a perspective of the monument.