The weekly news update featuring the Transcontinental Railroad Dedication.
To all North Pole City Elves, those in Santa's Village, in the Lower 48 and all around the world, this is your weekly update for the week of May 9, 2022. I'm your host Walter "Mistletoe" Livingstone and I'm your co-host, Becky "Marshmallow" Livingstone, Let's go to press.
For the week of May 9, 2022 your sponsor will be Bills Game Palace. Need a board game or some equipment for one of the North Pole City Sports? Bills is your one stop shop for all your recreational needs.
Update from Santa's Village, we received updated production reports from Santa's workshop and warehouses stating that production is now three weeks ahead of schedule. Santa would like to meet with all of the supervisor's this week to go over the numbers again to make sure counts are accurate. "I'm amazed how much ahead we got after all of the problems we had before spring break," said Latimer Snerd workshop supervisor. "If we continue at this rate, we will definitely have more than what is needed and will be able to fill our reserves back up again in no time."
Edward Hinklemyer has asked the Department of Forestry to cut harvesting in half this week so that production at the Wrapping Paper factory can be decreased due to the abundance of wrapping paper in the warehouse. Elves who wish to pick up additional, temporary shifts in other departments can stop into the Office of Elf Affairs to pick-up their temporary assignments.
The Division of WWW/PR has officially released the webpage for Mother Nature this past weekend. You can now connect to her page to get some resources. More information should be posted soon. Mother nature will be coming back to the North Pole some time this week for a little bit in order to work with the department on the webpage.
Temperatures may reach the mid 40s this week, but expect some snow on Monday with a mixture of rain and snow on Thursday.
WELF-NPC North Pole City Radio is currently accepting proposals for new shows on the radio station. If there are any elves in North Pole City (or from anywhere) that would like to have their own show, now is the time to submit your proposal. The station is looking to expand with more shows and there are a few time slots available.
On May 10, 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met in Promontory, Utah, and drove a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connects their railroads. This made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history. No longer would western-bound travelers need to take the long and dangerous journey by wagon train.
One year into the Civil War, a Republican-controlled Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act (1862), guaranteeing public land grants and loans to the two railroads it chose to build the transcontinental line, the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific. With these in hand, the railroads began work in 1866 from Omaha and Sacramento, forging a northern route across the country. In their eagerness for land, the two lines built right past each other, and the final meeting place had to be renegotiated.
Harsh winters, stifling summer heat and the lawless, rough-and-tumble conditions of newly settled western towns made conditions for the Union Pacific laborers—mainly Civil War veterans of Irish descent—miserable. The overwhelmingly immigrant Chinese workforce of the Central Pacific also had its fair share of problems, including brutal 12-hour work days laying tracks over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. On more than one occasion, whole crews would be lost to avalanches, or mishaps with explosives would leave several dead.
For all the adversity they suffered, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific workers were able to finish the railroad–laying nearly 2,000 miles of track–by 1869, ahead of schedule and under budget. Journeys that had taken months by wagon train or weeks by boat now would take only days. The completion ceremony was originally to be held on May 8, 1869, but it was postponed two days because of bad weather and a labor dispute that delayed the arrival of the Union Pacific side of the rail line. None the less on May 10, 1869, the Union Pacific No. 119 and Central Pacific No. 60 locomotives were drawn up face-to-face on Promontory Summit for the ceremonial driving of the last spike and photographs.
The last spike for the line was golden. It was made out of 17.6-karat copper-alloyed gold and weighed 14.03 troy ounces (436 g). It was a gift of San Francisco financier David Hewes. It was driven in by Leland Stanford.
The spike was engraved on all four sides:
A special railroad tie of polished California laurel was chosen to complete the line where the spike would be driven.
Immediately after the final golden spike was hammered in, the golden spike and the laurel tie were removed, lest they be stolen, and replaced with a regular iron spike and normal tie. At exactly 12:47 pm, the last iron spike was driven, finally completing the line.
After the ceremony, the Golden Spike was donated to the Stanford Museum (now Cantor Arts Center) in 1898 where it can still be viewed today. The last laurel tie was unfortunately destroyed in the fires caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
The North Pole City Commerce Association reported a sizable turn-out for the Mother’s Day brunch at the North Pole City Hotel. They have also reported that several of the North Pole City business owners are interested in having a summer picnic this year out at Polar Bear Lake. Plans have begun for this event.
North Pole City Council has put out a statement that the street and sidewalk project is just over halfway completed. Again crews have been working ahead of schedule and will be taking the next couple of weeks off to allow for the brick factory to get caught up on production.
The North Pole City Sports League will be meeting this week to discuss any changes that may be made to this year’s Reindeer Games. As you know, the games will begin the first week in July and the league wants to have everything ready next month for the season.
The North Pole City Library will be hosting a “Scrabble in the Yard†event this Friday in City Center for anyone who wants to come out and test your Scrabble Skills. This event started some years ago and is a great way to get out and stretch your muscles and your mind at the same time. Several local businesses will be present with food and beverages throughout the park.
WELF-NPC Would like to wish a very happy 460th birthday to our very own Becky “Marshmallow†Livingstone. Becky started out her career as an investigative reporter for the Peppermint Post Newspaper, did some work with the Commerce Association as their secretary and now is with us each week right here on this news broadcast. After we are done here we have a few surprises for Becky right here in the studio. Becky, we wish you many more happy years.
This is Walter "Mistletoe" Livingstone and Becky "Marshmallow" Livingstone with the reminder: Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success..
Have a good evening, and be sure to tune in next week for another WELF-NPC North Pole Radio News Update.
