Near Corinne in Box Elder County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Big Fill Trail

Photographed by Connor Olson, April 16, 2021

1. Big Fill Trail Marker

Inscription. This 1.5 mile round-trip route leads to two of the most significant railroad construction features in the Promontory area - the Central Pacific's Big Fill and the Union Pacific's Big Trestle site. The trail is easy to walk, thanks to the two percent grade limit set by the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862.
Although the Promontory Mountains don't look as formidable as the Wasatch Front or the Sierra Nevada Mountains, this was the most difficult and intricate portion of the line west of Weber Canyon and east of Donner Pass.
According to The Union Pacific's Chief Engineer, General Grenville Dodge, overcoming the Promontories required some of “the heaviest work, highest grades, and sharpest curves," in addition to enormous fills and numerous cuts.

Before You Hike • Hiking time-about 1 hour.
• Take drinking water.
• Metal detectors, firearms, and artifact collecting are prohibited.
• Wear a hat; there is no shade.
• Watch your step. Slopes off the grades are loose and rocky.
• Prepare for mosquitoes and ticks.
• Rattlesnakes have the right of way.

The Big Fill
Built by hand, shovels, and dump carts, Mormon workers signed on to the backbreaking job of constructing the Big Fill. Ultimately requiring the efforts of 500 men and 250 teams of horses,this massive earthen structure rose to a height of 170 feet, equal to 17 stories high.

captions:
Caves commonly used for shelter by railroad laborers.
Yellow-bellied Marmot
Evidence of hand drilling can still be seen in cuts today.

Erected by National

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Park Service, Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.

Location. 41° 38.234′ N, 112° 29.49′ W. Marker is near Corinne, Utah, in Box Elder County. It is on West 7200 North, on the right when traveling west. Located at the Big Fill Trailhead. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Corinne UT 84307, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Utah’s Cache Valley

and in the West Desert.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in Colorado Plateau.

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 New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The “Orange Special” Wreck (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chinese Arch (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Big Trestle (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Big Fill (approx. 0.6 miles

View of the Big Fill image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Connor Olson, April 16, 2021

2. View of the Big Fill

away); The Track that United the States (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Last Cut (approx. 0.9 miles away); Irish Monument (approx. 3.4 miles away); Original Rail (approx. 3.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Corinne.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Big Fill Trail (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on April 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 670 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 19, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide area view of the marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?