West Yellowstone in Gallatin County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Oregon Shortline Terminus

West Yellowstone Historic District

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 14, 2018

1. Oregon Shortline Terminus Marker

Inscription. 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

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

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. (Marker Number 4.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list.

Location. 44° 39.512′ N, 111° 6.036′ W. Marker is in West Yellowstone, Montana, in Gallatin County. It is at the intersection of Yellowstone Avenue and Canyon Street, on the left when traveling west on Yellowstone Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 104 Yellowstone Ave, West Yellowstone MT 59758, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 14, 2018

2. Oregon Shortline Terminus Marker

this marker is in Yellowstone Country

and in Greater Bozeman.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Snowed In! (within shouting distance of this marker); Montana's Centennial Train (within shouting distance of this marker); Madison Hotel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Rock (about 300 feet away); Union Pacific Dining Hall (about 400 feet away); Union Pacific Identification Pylon (approx. 0.2 miles away); Oregon Short Line 1903 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Madison River (approx. 3.3 miles away in Wyoming). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Yellowstone.

More about this marker. Marker is located in front of the 1909 Union Pacific Railroad Depot which is now the Yellowstone Historic Center Museum, open mid-May to mid-October. A free

Paid Advertisement

Historic Tour Map of West Yellowstone is available at many locations around town, and online.

Also see . . . Yellowstone Historic Center. (Submitted on September 16, 2018.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 614 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 16, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.