U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for May 10

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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TUESDAY, MAY 10: GOLDEN SPIKE DRIVEN

Profile America — Tuesday, May 10th.  This is the anniversary of an event in 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah that symbolized the linking of America's east and west.  In the ceremony, a golden spike was driven to join tracks of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railways.  Celebrated as completing the transcontinental railroad, the event actually joined rail lines from Omaha to Sacramento.  But the occasion did usher in the golden age of the nation's railroads.  Today, even with competition from cars, trucks, airlines and pipelines, U.S. railroads carry close to 29 million passengers a year and move more than 1.9 billion tons of freight.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.  

Sources:  Chase's Calendar Events 2011, p. 267

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011, t. 1121

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau