Oregon Shortline Terminus

Oregon Shortline Terminus. West Yellowstone Historic District. In 1905 Union Pacific officials began construction of a branch line in the pine-forested wilderness from Ashton, Idaho, to the western edge of Yellowstone Park. As the final tracks were laid in 1907, Samuel P. Eagle, Alex Stuart, Charles Arnet and L.A. Murray applied for commercial leases, prompting the Forest Service to survey and plat a six-block townsite. Privately-owned businesses prospered, serving crowds of Park tourists ferried back and forth from the railway by stagecoach. West Yellowstone became a thriving permanent settlement, dominated by the beautiful 1909 Union Pacific Depot. Designed by the Union Pacific Engineering Office, it combines Richardsonian elements with rustic exposed wood and hood-like roofs. In 1925 Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who was later noted for his imaginative resort designs and many passenger stations, drew up the plans for the new Dining Lodge and employee dormitories. These creative designs explore the naturalistic Rustic style adopted by the National Park Service. Welded tuff gathered along the railway line enhances the rustic appearance of foundations, walls, colossal chimneys and massive fireplaces and complements the log construction. This collection of railroad buildings constructed between 1905 and 1927 has withstood severe weather, major fires, rebuilding and expansion. The district stands today as a rare reminder of early Park tourism and a tribute to a fine architect. , Listed in the National Register Of Historic Places by the United States Department of Interior, in cooperation with the Montana Historical Society.