The following is an excerpt from the 07/13/22 HJ News (Herald Journal News):

By Jeff DeMoss

The newest monument standing at Box Elder County’s Golden Spike National Historical Park is, by design, one of the first things visitors to the park now see as they approach the site at Promontory Summit.

The 24-foot-high sculpture, entitled “Monument to Their Memory,” was built to honor all the railroad workers from many different cultures and backgrounds whose backbreaking efforts were crucial in the construction of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.

The sculpture consists of metal rails crossed with granite “ties,” reaching into the sky in a curving shape to create the sensation that it is visually crossing the plains mountains on a viewer’s journey to the unknown.

It is the creation of artist Ilan Averbuch, who is known around the world for his outdoor art installments. Averbuch was selected more than a year ago to design the piece.

Taking shape this spring after the annual celebration of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the piece was officially unveiled at a ceremony on June 25.

Dignitaries from the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone, as well as cultural groups representing the Irish, Chinese and others who built the railroad, were on hand to witness the spectacle.

For more information:  

• Read the full 07/13/22 HJ News article.
• View the 06/25/22 Fox 13 News video about the unveiling of the sculpture (note that accomplished actor James Hong speaks at the end of the video).