For Immediate Release: April 21, 2008

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( Oakland, CA)— Celebrate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, America’s most ambitious and significant 19 th-century infrastructure project. Learn about Oakland’s connection to this historic event on Sunday, May 10, 2:00-4:30 pm. Join local historian Dennis Evanosky, Oakland History Room librarian Kathleen DiGiovanni, Chinese-American historian Ernest Chann, and Camron-Stanford House historian Frances Rhodes, as the library celebrates the 140th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869. The FREE event includes talks at the Oakland Main Library, 125 14 th Street, West Auditorium, followed by a reception at the Camron-Stanford House, 1418 Lakeside Drive, just across the street from the library.

One hundred and forty years ago, the United States was united from the East Coast to the West Coast by the great Transcontinental Railroad. There are fascinating stories to tell about Oakland’s link to this historic event. Find out about David Hewes, originator of the Golden Spike who later resided at Camron-Stanford House, and Oakland's selection as the Transcontinental Railroad Western Terminus.

“David Hewes was quite the entrepreneur and marketing mogul,” states Frances Rhodes, local historian and Camron-Stanford House Board member. “It was his idea to create the Golden Spike which ceremonially joined the east and west sections of the Railroad and to stage the event at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869. To broadcast the event to the entire nation, he had a telegraph post set up to announce the driving of the final spike the moment it occurred. It was America’s very first nationwide automated media event.”

Dennis Evanosky, who has researched the final leg of the Railroad, between Sacramento and Oakland, adds, “Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad helped put Oakland on the map as an industrial center. The Railroad brought people to Oakland from all over the country, many who stayed on and helped develop the city into what it is today.”

Ernest Chann, Past-President of the Chinese Historical Society in America, will talk about the Chinese contribution to building the massive transportation improvement that truly opened up the West, and the Chinese 19 th-century experience here.

The celebration will continue at Camron-Stanford House, once the home of David Hewes, and will include tours of the 1876 Victorian Italianate landmark. The Alameda County Historical Society has graciously donated a festive cake for the event. RSVP for the free reception at (510) 444-1876 or cshousersvp@yahoo.com.

The Camron-Stanford House is the sole surviving mansion of the many residences which ringed the shores of Oakland’s Lake Merritt in the late 19 th century. Fiveprominent East Bay families enjoyed this elegant home before the City of Oakland purchased the property in 1906 to house the Oakland Public Museum, the first teaching museum west of the Mississippi. After 57 years, the museum’s doors were closed and the fate of “The Lady of the Lake” was in question. A new life began in 1971 when the Camron-Stanford House Preservation Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was formed to restore and preserve this fine National Register, State, County, and Oakland landmark. The house museum is open to the public, offers educational programs, and is available for event rentals. It is a center for local Oakland history, architectural preservation, and Victoriana. For more information on Camron-Stanford House, visit www.cshouse.org.

The Oakland Public Library, established in 1878, is the second oldest public library in the state, serving the communities of Oakland, Emeryville and Piedmont. The mission of the library is to “inform, inspire, and delight our diverse community as a resource for information, knowledge, and artistic and literary expression, providing the best in traditional services, new technologies, and innovative programs.” The system consists of a main library, fifteen branch libraries, the African American Museum & Library at Oakland, a tool lending library, and a roving bookmobile. For more information about the library and its services, visit www.oaklandlibrary.org . The Oakland Public Library is a department of the City of Oakland.