The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-09-14
DRIVING THE LAST SPIKE.
Completion Of the Northern Pacific
Railroad.
The Event Celebrated in Presence of
Nearly 5000 Visitors.

The last spike in the Northern Pacific rail
road, says a dispatch from Colder Spike,
Montana, was driven this afternoon, on the
Pacific slope of the Rocky mountains, 900
miles from the Atlantic ocean, and 800 miles
from the Pacific, and ninety-one years after
the idea of a highway from the lakes to the
Pacific was first suggested by Thomas Jeffer'
son.
The spot where the rails met was Last
Spike, fifty miles west of Helena and thirty
miles west of the Grand Divide, from which,
on one side, the rain runs down to the Gulf of
Mexico and the Atlantic, and from the other
side into the Pacific ocean. Here Independ-
ehce creek Gnters the Hell Gate or Deer Lodge
river, four miles above Gold creek, the scene
of the placer excitement of 1868, and crosses
the track on its way to the Pacific ocean
through lake Pend d'Oreille and the Column
bia river.
Three thousand people, beside the 400 dis
tinguishel guests who came with Mr.. Willard,
stood in the grassy meadow, overlooked on
the east by the main range of the Rocky
mountains, with a sight of Mount Paul with
its white head and the Big Hole range Green
willows and cottonwoods fringed the meadow,
and the wind blew in our faces from the Paci-
fc. The valley is so civilized that the inhabi-
tants have not for five years had to run from
the indians Parks, like slopes of interspersed
forest and meadow; foothills rolling away to
the Bitter Root mountains. and dotted with
pine, fir, spruce and cedar; farms and
houses in the verdant valley, and glimpSes of
ranges where bear, elk. moose and mountain
npafG r. CfIl found in nlantxr mazda ~, tlA
scene for the ceremony. All were surprised
at what they beheld. Instead of the wilder
ness of the Rocky mountains they saw a fine
pavilion capable of seating over 1909 per
sons, over which fioated the national colors
of the American, German and British ma
tions. In front, reaching to the roadbed,
was an extensive promenade, skirted by a
platform with comfortable seats. To the
right was a band-stand and on it were seated
the Fifth United States Infantry band, which
was to entertain the spectators, and which
had come all the way from Fort Keogh.
After President Villard.and the Hon. VII
liam NJ Evarts had addressed the throng
Secretary Teller spoke briefly of the energy
and capital required to carry the enterprise
to a successful conclusion. He was followed
by ex-President Billings, and then remarks on
behalf of the foreign guests were made by the
British Minister. Sir James Hannen, the
German Minister, and DR.. Kneiss, of the Ber-
lin university. The governors of Wisconsin.
Minnesota, Dakota, Montana, Oregon and
Washington We're severally introduced. and
made brief and appropriate remarks. The
governor of Idaho was absent ON account
of sickness. There were loud cries for General
Grant and he came forward. He said he was
reminded by the speeches to which he had
listened of the fact that he had something TO
do with the great Northern Pacific enter
prise. When Governor Stephens, thirty
years ago, organized his surveying exT Il
ton the speaker was a lieutenant, acting as
a q~uartermaster and commissary, ON the
Columbia, and he issued the supplies for the
expedition. Was he not, then, entitled. he
asked, to some of the credit which had been
apportioned out TO others 2 He alded that
the intercolonial railroads would have
amounted to little but for the men who,
after the war, sought the territories as fields
of enterprise. They had made these railroads
possible and prosperous. At the conclusion
of General Grants speech three rousing cheers
were given. The foreign guests were then