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9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes the 150th
12 anniversary of the first transcontinental railroad and requests that a committee be
13 formed to plan a commemorative celebration.
14 Highlighted Provisions:
15 This resolution:
16 ▸ recognizes the 150th anniversary of the completion of the United States' first
17 transcontinental railroad; and
18 ▸ requests that the Governor appoint a committee to plan a commemorative
19 celebration.
20 Special Clauses:
21 None
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23 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
24 WHEREAS, the marrying of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads on May 10,
25 1869, at Promontory Summit marked a significant accomplishment for the people of Utah and
26 the nation;
27 WHEREAS, completion of the first transcontinental railroad made transporting
28 passengers and goods coast to coast considerably faster, safer, and less expensive;
29 WHEREAS, completion of the railroad reduced travel time across the nation from six
30 months or more down to just one week;
31 WHEREAS, completion of the railroad contributed to continued development of
32 infrastructure, business growth, population growth, and interconnectivity for Utah and the
33 nation;
34 WHEREAS, many workers hired by Union Pacific had served in the Union and
35 Confederate armies during the U.S. Civil War, and the side-by-side collaboration between
36 northern and southern laborers significantly contributed to the healing of the nation;
37 WHEREAS, Chinese, Irish, and other immigrant laborers were responsible for much of
38 the labor necessary to complete the railroad; and
39 WHEREAS, Mormon settlers in Utah provided significant and substantive grading
40 work to complete the Union Pacific westward portion of the transcontinental line:
41 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
42 Governor concurring therein, recognizes the historical significance of the completion of the
43 first transcontinental railroad and requests that the Governor appoint a committee to plan a
44 celebration to commemorate its 150th anniversary.
45 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the celebration be held on or around May 10, 2019.
46 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee be comprised of the Governor or the
47 Governor's designee; the Senate District 17 Senator; the House District 1 Representative; the
48 Director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED); the Director of the
49 Division of State History; GOED's Managing Director of Tourism, Film, and Global Branding;
50 the Superintendent of the Golden Spike National Historic Site; a descendent of a Chinese
51 railroad worker; representatives of the Union Pacific Railroad; and other local government
52 officials as appropriate.
53 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee report its progress regularly to the
54 Legislative Management Committee.