<P> Planned by Theodore Judah , the Central Pacific Railroad was authorized by Congress in 1862 . It was financed and built through `` The Big Four '' ( who called themselves `` The Associates '' ) : Sacramento , California businessmen Leland Stanford , Collis Huntington , Charles Crocker , and Mark Hopkins . Crocker was in charge of construction . Construction crews comprised 12,000 Chinese emigrant workers by 1868 , when they constituted eighty percent of the entire work force . They laid the first rails in 1863 . The `` Golden spike '' , connecting the western railroad to the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory , Utah , was hammered on May 10 , 1869 . Coast - to - coast train travel in eight days became possible , replacing months - long sea voyages and lengthy , hazardous travel by wagon trains . </P>
<P> Planned by Theodore Judah , the Central Pacific Railroad was authorized by Congress in 1862 . It was financed and built through `` The Big Four '' ( who called themselves `` The Associates '' ) : Sacramento , California businessmen Leland Stanford , Collis Huntington , Charles Crocker , and Mark Hopkins . Crocker was in charge of construction . Construction crews comprised 12,000 Chinese emigrant workers by 1868 , when they constituted eighty percent of the entire work force . They laid the first rails in 1863 . The `` Golden spike '' , connecting the western railroad to the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory , Utah , was hammered on May 10 , 1869 . Coast - to - coast train travel in eight days became possible , replacing months - long sea voyages and lengthy , hazardous travel by wagon trains . </P>
where did the central pacific and union pacific railroads meet
where did the central pacific and union pacific railroads meet
Promontory , Utah
Promontory , Utah