An Important Community Symbol
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Welcome to Historic 25th Street

An Important Community Symbol, also, Welcome to Historic 25th Street. . , An Important Community Symbol , Union Station stands as a constant reminder of the importance the railroad had in the development of Ogden. The present station, however, is the third station constracted in Ogden to serve rail passengers. , , Community Demands New Station , The first station, constructed in 1872, was a small wooden structure painted red served as ticket office, baggage room and stationmaster's office. The area around the building was a slough. A boardwalk angling to the northeast had to be constructed to provide a decent walking surface to connect the station with 24th Street, the main east-west street at the time. It was not a very attractive setting. An 1874 edition of the Ogden Junction Newspaper called upon the railroads to, "Erect some permanent buildings...and go to work like substantial corporations, instead of dickering around in shanties and balloon tinderboxes, like some two-and-a-half dollar concerns likely to move or bust at any time." , , The Union Pacific railroad decided to finally construct a new station due to the growing industry and volume of traffic. Work on the new station began in 1886 on the brick and stone Victoria structure. The new Union Depot was completed on July 31, 1889, and opened on this site at the west end 25th Street. Finally, as the 1889 Ogden Semi-Standard Weekly observed, "the railroad companies at last begun to understand the necessity of something better than the shanties which the public has had to put up with for so many years." In addition to serving as ticket office, baggage office and waiting area, the Station was designed with 33 hotel rooms as well as a kitchen, dining room, telegraph office and news stand to accomodate the travelers who passed through the area. , , This station stood as a symbol of the railroad's important contribution to transportation until it was destroyed by fire on February 13, 1923, nearly 34 years after it first opened. , , The Current Union Station , While the railroad proposed to reconstruct the old station after it burned down, the citizens of Ogden lobbied for a new station. The present Union Station was opened on November 22, 1924, and was built at a cost of $400,000. As many as 120 trains a day moved through the present depot during its peak, and 17 tracks were used for passenger train service. As LeRoy Johnson, a Red Cap for over forty years at the station recalled, "At one time, during World War I, sixty-two passenger trains left the depot every day: streamliners from all over the nation carrying presidents, kings, ambassadors, movie stars, doctors, lawyers, authors, poets - and just people - thousands of them everyday from all walks of life.", Rail Fares in 1878 , In 1878, three transcontinental trains a day stopped in Ogden. A typical fare from New York to San Francisco at that time was $150 for first class and $70 for lesser accommodations. , [Captions:] , The west side of the first Union Station , Ogden's first rail station was comprised of several buildings, including a hotel. , Present Union Station, shown soon after construction was completed. , , Welcome to Historic 25th Street , For almost a century, the eastern view up 25 Street was a train-traveler's first sight of Ogden. People from all walks of life have passed through this area, looking east towards Mount Ogden. U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and William Taft have paraded up this street. Author Zane Grey and boxing legend Jack Dempsey spent time on 25th Street. , , Immigrants from all over the world who would come to make Ogden their home began their new lives with this first view. , , Often. 25th Street was all a person ever knew of Ogden. Whether it was a coast-10- coast traveler on a short train stop or one of thousands of World War II soldiers passing through on their way to the Pacific Theater, each paused here on 25th Street. , , A World of it's Own , The business owners on 25th Street took full advantage of the fact that so many people stopped here. It was the entertainment district of the city, and that appealed to travelers. In the early 1900's there were 21 saloons and pool halls on 25th Street's two blocks, as well 24 hotels, boarding and lodging houses, 17 restaurants and nine grocery and bakery businesses. This high concentration of entertainment activities set 25th Street apart as a world of its own within the community. , , Over the years, the buildings have changed and many have disappeared. The two buildings on the corner af 2 Street and Wall are examples. The southern building (bottom photo, right side), the Murphy Block Building, was built in 1887 by civil war veteran George Murphy. It was home to the Windsor Hotel on the upper floor and had various stores on its main floor. , , Murphy's friend. Patrick Healy, built the Healy Hotel on the north side of the street (bottom photo, left side) in 1901. Both men were involved the with railroad during its construction. The Healy Hotel, torn down in 1967, had a grand marble lobby and a reputation for fine furnishings. The Murphy Block Building is still useful and standing. These are just two of many examples of the rich history in this National Historic District.