Near a little mining camp named Gold Creek is where Northern Pacific crews from the east and west met and where the final, "Golden", spike was driven by former president Ulysses S. Grant to officially complete the Northern Pacific Railroad. This mural depicting the scene was done in 1903 by Amédée Joullin and given to the state to be mounted in the capitol building.
The mural can be found in a transom over a stairway arch leading, if I remember correctly, from the second to the third floor near the central rotunda. It is at one end of the
Art Glass Barrel Vault, a work of art in its own right.
Driving the Golden Spike
Amédée Joullin, oil on canvas, 1903, 183" x 90"
Driving the Golden Spike is the only mural in the Capitol that was not commissioned by the State. Rather, it was given to the people of Montana by the Northern Pacific Railroad. The painting commemorates the completion of that company’s transcontinental line on September 8, 1883, at Gold Creek (approximately half way between Helena and Missoula). Former president Ulysses S. Grant wields the sledgehammer that he will use to drive the spike while Northern Pacific president Henry Villard looks on from the right. The bearded gentleman behind Grant to the left is Secretary of the Interior Henry Moore Teller. Secretary of State William M. Evarts, the event’s main speaker, stands just in front of Teller. At the lower left can be seen a delegation of Crow Indians—dressed in ceremonial finery—whose land the railroad crossed. Missing from the image is any representation of the Chinese workers who helped lay the tracks. Amédée Joullin (1862–1917) was a San Francisco–born painter who studied art in California and Paris. He is best known for paintings of California scenes and Native American subjects.
From the Montana Government
When we visited the capitol it was late in the day and everyone had gone home. Fortunately for the avid Waymarker, they had left a door unlocked - we won't say which one. We stealthily entered through the unlocked door to find ourselves alone in the building, save for a few of the cleaning staff. Avoiding the cleaners we went about our business, snapping shots to our heart's content. The capitol building may be an impressive edifice on the outside, but it is a true work of art inside. Filled with marble, tile, intricate woodwork, gold gilt, murals, stained glass, statuary and memorials, it offers a new and beautiful vista around each corner. We're very thankful that someone here was a bit forgetful but hope that it doesn't happen too often.