The Great Railroad Race: The Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory, 1868

May 5, 1869

Late this afternoon our tracklayers arrived at the Summit! The Union Pacific engine came to a stop with a loud release of steam. Facing it, on another sidetrack, was California's locomotive. Both engines greeted each other with a sharp whistle.

Finally. It was the first time the trains from the Pacific coast and the Atlantic coast had met, and I saw it with my own eyes! We cheered with excitement, men threw their hats in the air, ladies waved handkerchiefs, and Joe ran wild with some other boys....

Everyone is still waiting for Mr. Durant and the others to arrive. Then workers will lay the final half mile—that's just about 2,500 feet.