The Anchorage Museum and the city of Nenana, joined forces to bring home the Golden Spike, an iconic piece of railroad history.

An Alaska museum and city, with help from donors including the Alaska Railroad, have won the auction for a 14-karat gold spike that was part of the railroad’s completion ceremony in 1923. The Anchorage Museum and city of Nenana will take turns displaying the spike,

The Anchorage Museum, along with the City of Nenana, bought a special railroad spike at a Christie’s auction for $200,000. The spike is made of 14-karat gold and is rich with history.

Two Alaska institutions are making a bid to bring home a golden spike that was driven into the ground more than a century ago to mark the completion of the Alaska Railroad.

The city of Nenana collaborated with the Anchorage Museum and other private donors to purchase the golden spike at a Christie’s Auction House auction in New York City.

The total cost of purchasing the 14-karat gold railroad spike at auction, to reclaim a piece of Alaska Railroad history, was $201,600.

The golden spike that was used to complete the Alaska Railroad in 1923 will for the first time be on permanent display in Alaska after entities combined to win an action for the 14-karat gold spike Friday.

This image provided by Christie's Images shows a golden spike driven by President Warren G. Harding in Nenana, Alaska, just days before he died in office, which marked the completion

A variety of private donors supplied money for the purchase, the museum and city of Nenana said in their statement.

President Warren G. Harding drove a golden spike into the final coupling of the Alaska Railroad more than a century ago, a ceremonial act that marked the launch of a system to easily bring coal and other natural resources out of the wilderness.

The golden spike that was used to complete the Alaska Railroad over a century ago will be on permanent display in Alaska.

Contact the volunteer office at [email protected] or 440-717-3846 for more information or visit conservancyforcvnp.org. The Volunteers-in-Parks Program is co-managed by the National Park Service and the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.