PROMONTORY

Promontory (Box Elder) was an early construction camp near the point where the Central Pacific Railroad from the east* and the Union Pacific Railroad from the west* met on May 10, 1869. It was a typical roisterous camp until it was decided that it would become the meeting place for the two railroads. The status of the town varied from complete abandonment, to cattle town, to an honored site under the National Park Service (the Golden Spike National Historical Site). The name was taken from the large promontory projecting south into the Great Salt Lake.

John W. Van Cott