Utah Parks Company Bus Garage

Utah Parks Company Bus Garage. . , From 1923 to 1972, the Utah Parks Company (UPC), a subsidiary company of Union Pacific Railroad brought thousands of visitors to southwestern Utah and northern Arizona. Cedar City was the starting point for travelers on the UPC tours; the "Grand Circle tour took visitors by bus to Zion National Park, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Cedar Breaks National Monument, with a few stops along the way., The UPC Bus and Vehicle Garage was the primary maintenance and repair facility for the iconic UPC buses. The original floor of the building was slanted so that water would run to one end as the buses were washed. On the north side of the building were ramps where vehicles were parked for oil changes and other undercarriage work. The tours were hard on the buses; good maintenance was key. The drivers, or the "gearjammers earned the nickname from their early days of driving the buses to the parks, "jamming" the gears into place as they drove the scenic, winding canyon roads., Gearjammer Ike Beem (1946-1950) recalls a trip where things didn't quite go as planned, "Coming down the canyon [from Cedar Breaks], you're really in that low gear. [The last stop was the Rock Church in Cedar City]. I was still about four or five miles up the canyon and was hitting my brake and had no air. I was pulling on the emergency [brake] and slowing down-pull it a little, ease off, pull it little. Anyway, I went right by the church and sailed through Main Street and finally got stopped three blocks down. A [passenger] said, "Ike, I thought we were supposed to stop at the church. I said, 'Well, there's only one thing wrong. I haven't had any brakes since we left Cedar Breaks. That made me some tips. , Dedicated Monday, June 15, 2023 by Cedar City Historic Preservation Commission , Visit Cedar City - Brian Head ,