LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — A 43-foot-tall golden spike is set to be touted around the country as a part of the “Driving of the Spike” tour. Its first stop is Lexington.

The 43-foot-tall Golden Spike, similar to the ones used in 1869 to celebrate the completion of the transcontinental railroad, has been commissioned by the Golden Spike Foundation.

This monument called the “Golden Spike Monument”, is being created to honor the railroad workers who built the transcontinental railroad. It will be transported to its final location in Box Elder County, Utah, from The Ashland—Henry Clay Estate in Lexington on a flatbed trailer.

Artist Douwe Blumberg and his team spent 28 months creating the monument in rural Kentucky. During the event, Blumberg will discuss his artistic process and how the artwork celebrates the workers who built the transcontinental railroad.

“These moments are like the capstone on a pyramid. They represent a fun moment that caps a ton of work, a ton of effort by countless people. When you create something this large over so many years, it just takes a huge amount of effort, and most of it is never seen. Most of it is kind of forgotten, similar to the story that we’re mentioning here that we’re trying to bring to life,” Blumberg said.

On its way to its final installment, the Golden Spike will make stops in 10 cities. The schedule is as follows:

● Oct. 5: Kickoff Event – Ashland—The Henry Clay Estate, Lexington, KY
● Oct. 7: Whistle Stop – St. Louis Union Station, St. Louis, MO
● Oct. 8: Whistle Stop – Union Station Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
● Oct. 14: Whistle Stop – Union Pacific Railroad Museum, Council Bluffs, IA
● Oct. 15: Whistle Stop – Golden Spike Tower, North Platte, NE
● Oct. 17: Whistle Stop – Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, CO
● Oct. 21: Whistle Stop – Cheyenne Depot Museum, Cheyenne, WY
● Oct. 23: Whistle Stop – Community Art Center, Rock Springs, WY
● Oct. 23: Welcome and VIP Event – Utah State Capitol, Salt Lake City, UT
● Oct. 24: Whistle Stop – Utah State Capitol, Salt Lake City, UT

“It’s so important that as we celebrate, um, um, this public art today that we remember how important it is to teach history to the next generation of Kentuckians and Americans so that we can keep these stories alive, not just of events, as was mentioned earlier, but of our people,” said Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman.

To learn more, visit spike150.org/driving.