"The road must be built, and you are the man to do it. Take hold of it yourself. By building the Union Pacific, you will be the remembered man of your generation."―President Abraham Lincoln to Oakes Ames, 1865
Random 60'x60'x60' ashlar granite pyramid designed by architect H.H. Richardson―seemingly in the middle of nowhere―is a giant tribute to brothers Oakes and Oliver Ames, Jr. These are the guys that took command of getting the Transcontinental Railroad built; Oakes was a congressman from Massachusets and ensured all legal matters were taken care of, and Oliver took command as the first president of the UPR.
Evidently a lot of rules were "broken" during the building of of the railroad―but gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette, am-I-right?!?
Regardless, this is a neat five minute stop not too far off of Hwy 80 and def worth a look-see. Not much in the way of amenities (i.e., nothing) and you'll have to schlep down a gravely, dusty road to get here but still worth a visit. read more