On West Beaver Dam Road, on the left when traveling west.
The Box Elder Cooperative Association was established in 1867 -68 by Lorenzo Snow, under direction of Brigham Young. In 1871 a dairy, said to be the first in Utah, was built south of Beaver Dam, near a cold water spring, Christian Hansen, operator. . . . — — Map (db m44467) HM
The Knudsen cabin, built by Porter Squires for Wilhelm and Laura Amelia Knudsen in 1855, was one of the first permanent structures in Brigham City. Located on the corner of First East and First South, the original cabin was 14' x 18'. It had a loft . . . — — Map (db m240501) HM
Site number 55
In July 1853 Brigham Young ordered the people settled in the Brigham City vicinity, construct another fort to provide protection from the Indians. This fort extended North and South about 15 rods and East and West about 8 rods. . . . — — Map (db m240494) HM
SITE NUMBER 74
Brigham City was the first important Mormon community to organize fistle for cooperative activity under a system later incorporated in the United Order of 1874. Approximately 30 or 40 industry branches were established with the . . . — — Map (db m240503) HM
On North Main Street at West Forest Street West, on the left when traveling north on North Main Street.
The mercantile store was the last building constructed for the Brigham City Co-op. Three years after the store opened, a fire broke out. Financial losses from the fire shut down the business a year before the cooperative organization closed. . . . — — Map (db m105251) HM
On North Main Street near West Forest Street West, on the right when traveling north.
Constructed in 1909 at a cost of about $7000, this building original housed the city fire department on the main floor and city offices on the second floor. It also had a jail in the southeast corner and "hobo apartments" in the basement. This was . . . — — Map (db m105252) HM
On East 700 South at S 400 E, on the right when traveling east on East 700 South.
In 1942, Bushnell General Hospital was built in Brigham City by the federal government to treat World War II wounded. The hospital closed in 1946 after 13,000 army personnel were treated there.
In 1950, the Bureau of Indian Affairs coverted . . . — — Map (db m240490) HM
This monument marks the S.E. corner of fort built by Anson Call and associates in 1855 under direction of President Brigham Young as protection against Indians. The fort was the most northerly outpost in Utah. It was one hundred twenty feet . . . — — Map (db m152317) HM
In commemoration of the outstanding service he rendered the intermountain west as Patriot, Pioneer, Colonizer, Church leader, and Statesman on this plot of ground Aug 19th, 1877 he delivered his last public address when he organized the Box Elder . . . — — Map (db m152538) HM
On East 100 North at North 400 East, on the right when traveling east on East 100 North.
In 1876, Harriet Snow, Box Elder Stake Relief Society President, was asked by the LDS General Relief Society President, Emmeline B. Wells, to join with women's groups throughout the LDS Church to gather and store wheat against a time of need from . . . — — Map (db m240493) HM
On 807 West Forest Street, on the left when traveling west.
The first transcontinental railroad, that tied the West to the East with bands of steel, was completed with the driving of the golden spike at Promontory
Utah 33 miles west of here May 10, 1869. The railroad was abandoned with the ceremonial . . . — — Map (db m240499) HM
Lorenzo Snow was born 3 April, 1814, in Mantua, Ohio, a son of Oliver and
Rosetta Snow. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in June of 1836 at the age of 22. He crossed the plains, captained his wagon company, and arrived . . . — — Map (db m240492) HM
On South 200 West, on the left when traveling south.
The same sun, moon and stars shone over these everlasting hills when old Lake
Bonneville's waters reached midway up these mountains. Later, native American
hunters roamed these lands which they called Woebequachee. Here they fished Pe-
Ogway . . . — — Map (db m240491) HM
On 400 West 700 North at 400 W 700 N, on the right when traveling east on 400 West 700 North.
Soon after the first white families settled at Box Elder, they built a temporary fort to protect themselves from Shoshone Indian attacks.
The Davis Fort was named after their leader, William Davis and consisted of a row of simple log . . . — — Map (db m240496) HM
On 833 W Forest Street, on the left when traveling east.
4-Union Pacific Depot - Built 1907
The depot served thousands of train passengers over the years. The trains also handled shipments of coal locally grown produce and mail.
During World War II, a track was installed between the depot . . . — — Map (db m240498) HM
Ford was used by Indians, Fur Tappers and Mountain Men. About 1853 Ben Hampton and Wm. Godbe operated a ferry for emigrant traffic. The site became a "home station" successively for stages of Oliver & Conniver, Ben Holladay, and Wells-Fargo. About . . . — — Map (db m105494) HM
"...we came to Bear River Crossing, ... There has been a ferry established here all summer until the later week, when the waters have become so much fallen that it renders it useless The river is now about 150 ft. wide, an average depth of 2 1/2 . . . — — Map (db m105495) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the right when traveling west.
"We now skirted the north end of the lake, sometimes traveling in a valley and again along the shore of the lake where the mountains jutted down nearly to its shores." -- Nicholas "Cheyenne" Dawson, narrative, August 26, 1841 — — Map (db m105300) HM
Near West Golden Spike Drive North, on the right when traveling west. Reported permanently removed.
Look down this path toward the sharp V-shaped notch in the shoulder of the mountainside ahead. Walking the Big Fill Trail, you can still see some of the violent fury of the final days of the race to Promontory, carved into unyielding limestone. . . . — — Map (db m171363) HM
On West 7200 North, on the right when traveling west.
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 . . . — — Map (db m171369) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the right when traveling west.
Mile 762.7 from San Francisco
Information about this siding is limited to ambiguous notations amending Central Pacific RR survey plats and profiles.
Onsite investigations have revealed no evidence of occupation. — — Map (db m105299) HM
On Promontory Trail, 4.5 miles west of Utah Route 83, on the left when traveling east.
Ancient Lake Bonneville once covered this area, including the flanks of Promontory Range. The waves washing against the ancient shore eroded fault-fractured rocks, creating the arch in the 300-million-year-old Oquirrh Formation.
More than . . . — — Map (db m171373) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road when traveling west.
Lacking precise instructions from Congress as to where to meet, and spurred by financial rewards for building grade, both railroad companies prepared railbed past each other for 250 miles. No parallel track was ever laid.
Promontory Summit was . . . — — Map (db m80934) HM
On Promontory Road (Utah Route 13) 0.1 miles south of North 3900 West, on the right when traveling south.
Looking toward the immediate completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad, Corinne Townsite was laid out in the Spring of 1869.
Railroad Financiers, Real Estate Promoters, Businessmen & Gambling Sharks, launched a boom to make Corinne the . . . — — Map (db m117001) HM
On West 2300 North at North 4000 West, on the left when traveling east on West 2300 North.
1870
This is the oldest extant Protestant Church building in Utah.
It was dedicated by
Chaplin C.C. McCabe and
Reverend G.M. Peirce on
September 20, 1870 — — Map (db m105257) HM
On North 4050 West at 2350 North (Montana Street), on the right when traveling north on North 4050 West.
On this site the Corinne Opera House, for many years the largest recreation center in Utah outside of Salt Lake City, was erected in 1879. Built of red pine lumber with square nails, the leading stock companies, California bound on the new railroad, . . . — — Map (db m105258) HM
Helping to Build a Nation Steel production increased rapidly in the United States after
the Civil War. Prior to the war, the United States had not
produced one single steel rail. By 1873, it had produced nearly
115,000 tons of steel . . . — — Map (db m172235) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road, on the right when traveling west. Reported permanently removed.
For four years Americans closely followed the progress of the Pacific railroad in their newspapers, anxious to see it completed. By May 1869, intense attention was focused on this desolate corner of northern Utah. The entire country was eager for . . . — — Map (db m171374) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road near 6400 North Road, on the right when traveling west.
A rough crowd had gathered at the far set of tracks 15 yards ahead. Six million spikes and six years’ work lay behind them. Now, only one section of rails was left undone. The honor of ceremonially “finishing” the Pacific railroad with a . . . — — Map (db m80931) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road, on the right when traveling west.
With an officer of the Twenty-first U.S. Infantry posed on the completed tracks and men of his regiment behind him, dignitaries of the Union Pacific Railroad stand for a photograph. Dr. Thomas C. Durant, Union Pacific Vice-President, is seen , at . . . — — Map (db m80940) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road, on the right when traveling west.
In this photo, taken one day before the transcontinental line was completed, a 30-foot gap in the railroad remained. A tent town quickly grew around the Last Spike Site, and two of the first businesses, the Restaurant and the Red Cloud Saloon can be . . . — — Map (db m80939) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Mile 748.6 from San Francisco
Monument was little more than a siding and wye for the railroad, with little evidence remaining today of the railroad era.
Its name came from Monument Point, a prominent landform visible from here. Photos from . . . — — Map (db m105301) HM
Spanning a Continent
The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 mandated that
American-made iron be used to fabricate all rail for
the transcontinental railroad. Although steel was more
durable, it was not widely available in the United . . . — — Map (db m171384) HM
On North 4000 West near South Front Street, on the right when traveling north.
The Presbyterian work in Utah began at Corinne June 11, 1969 under Rev. Melancthon Hughes, sent here by Rev. Sheldon Jackson, missionary and educator. This bell was later given to the first congregation. In the first century, the Presbyterians . . . — — Map (db m105261) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Mile 765.0 from San Francisco
This site was christened Victory on April 28, 1869 when Central Pacific Workers rested for lunch after laying six miles of track during the famous laying of ten miles of track in a day. The site was later named . . . — — Map (db m105297) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road, on the right when traveling west.
The transcontinental railroad was a commercial link which opened new markets and figuratively united the nation with bands of rail. Seen here are Union Pacific Railroad fruit cars en route to California to be loaded with perishables for Eastern . . . — — Map (db m80938) HM
On Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road.
Four months after completion, Promontory was a notorious boomtown composed of hotels, saloons, and gambling tents with a few stores and shops. Transcontinental passengers changed trains here until mid-1870. Many were victimized by resident gamblers . . . — — Map (db m80942) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road, on the right when traveling west.
After the opening of the Lucin Cutoff in 1904, the historic rail line north of the Great Salt Lake was of minimal importance. In 1942 the last spike was ceremonially “undriven” here before a crowd of Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, and . . . — — Map (db m80941) HM
Spiral Jetty is an earthwork sculpture constructed in April, 1970 that is considered to be the central work of American sculptor Robert Smithson (1938-1973). Built on the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake near Rozel Point in Utah entirely of . . . — — Map (db m223247) HM
The cut below you on the Union Pacific grade is a good example
of the stair step construction method used by the railroads. The
workers were set to grading, scraping and blasting on several
different levels of a cut at once. This method increased . . . — — Map (db m100047) HM
Near West Golden Spike Drive North, on the right when traveling west.
You are now standing on the historic railbed and to your right at the gate that separates the old railbed from the highway, the Southern Pacific covered an old trestle with fill on the steepest grade on the Promontory Mountains. For years helper . . . — — Map (db m80956) HM
On West Golden Spike Drive North, on the right when traveling west.
Competing for fame and money, the two railroads constructed over 250 miles of parallel grade. Here the Central Pacific built the Big Fill before Congress gave final construction rights to the Union Pacific. Afterward, the U.P. sold the tracks . . . — — Map (db m80957) HM
Near West Golden Spike Drive North, on the right when traveling west.
Lacking time to fill the ravine before you, Union Pacific crews built the bridge shown in the photo. One reporter said that nothing he could write “would convey an idea of the flimsy character of that structure.”
You can still see the . . . — — Map (db m80958) HM
On North 4000 West (Sixth) at 2350 North (Montana), on the left when traveling north on North 4000 West (Sixth).
In 1870 the first U.S. Government weather station in Utah was erected on this site by the War Department Signal Service, U.S. Army Division of Telegrams and Reports, for the benefit of commerce. The observer was William W. McElroy. The station was . . . — — Map (db m105253) HM
On Promontory Trail, on the right when traveling east.
By April of 1869, the Union Pacific was working its Mormon and Irish labor forces day and night in order to meet the scheduled deadline for the completion of the railroad. Below you is the last cut made along the transcontinental route. Cuts such as . . . — — Map (db m80952) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road, on the right when traveling west.
”More representative American locomotives of the period would be difficult to find. Both the Jupiter and 119 were of the eight wheel or 4-4-0 wheel arrangement. This style of engine was so common in the United States that it was called the . . . — — Map (db m80965) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road, on the right when traveling west.
“The original Jupiter and No.119 were scrapped at the turn of the century. Despite their absence, the replica locomotive tell the story of the building and significance of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad. Today’s . . . — — Map (db m80966) HM
On West Golden Spike Drive, 0.6 miles east of N East Promontory Road (County Road W 7200N), on the right when traveling west.
A sharp eye can still pick out the marks of early railroad building along this rugged escarpment, even if the original iron rails and timber ties themselves are gone.
These fading remnants tell the story of a daunting engineering . . . — — Map (db m69108) HM
On Golden Spike Loop Road, on the right when traveling west.
Welcome to the Transcontinental Railroad National Back Country Byway. The railroad grade you will be driving represents an epic achievement in American history, linking East to West in a new nation. Today, the landscape looks much the same as it did . . . — — Map (db m100000) HM
On Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) near 6400 North Road.
Not only did the Railroad Act of 1862 lay out a grand plan of connecting the continent by rail, but the legislation called for a communication transformation as well. A telegraph line was to be strung along the transcontinental route ushering in an . . . — — Map (db m125276) HM
On West 2300 North at North 4000 West, on the right when traveling west on West 2300 North.
This bell was brought to Corinne by Hyrum House to warn the community at times when the water was to be shut off. In 1896 it was used to ring in Statehood for the State of Utah. It was rung so hard that day, that it cracked, then was placed on a . . . — — Map (db m155256) HM
To settle a wager among the trappers who were making their first winter rendezvous in Cache Valley, Bridger floated alone in a bull boat down Bear River to its outlet to determine the river's course in the late autumn or early winter of 1824, thus . . . — — Map (db m152315) HM
On Grouse Creek Road, 0.2 miles north of Tucoma Road, on the left when traveling south.
When the railroads were first moving across the country, they needed water for their steam engines. The Lucin ponds were developed in the 1800’s for this purpose. The water to fill the ponds comes through a pipeline from the Pilot Mountain range, . . . — — Map (db m136325) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Mile 691.6 from San Francisco
Track-laying crews reached Bovine March 28, 1869 and established a section station. A freight platform was constructed in Bovine in 1885. The site was named after Bovine Mountain located directly north of the . . . — — Map (db m105480) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Mile 680.5 from San Francisco
Historic Lucin was established as a section station on July 6th, 1875. A nearby rail station originally held the name "Lucin," but the name and the services were relocated here to Historic Lucin. It also served . . . — — Map (db m105482) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway near Kelton Road, on the right when traveling west.
Mile 734.1 from San Francisco
Kelton served as a section station for the Central Pacific Railroad from 1869-1942. The location was originally called Indian Creek but was soon renamed Kelton in honor of a local stockman.
The town was built . . . — — Map (db m105340) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway near Flat Road, on the right when traveling west.
Mile 712.8 from San Francisco
Track laying crews reached the site of Matlin on April 5, 1869. Matlin was used by the railroad from 1869-1904 as a section station. Chinese railroad workers built a small community next to the facilities. . . . — — Map (db m105426) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the right when traveling west.
Mile 686.4 from San Francisco
The presence of the RR made vast areas of the rangeland available to ranchers by providing the vital link to civilization. The RR furnished an avenue for supplies and an outlet to numerous markets. This siding . . . — — Map (db m105481) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Mile 703.5 from San Francisco
Old Terrace is a mile east of the population center of Terrace. There was probably never a settlement here, but heavy traffic in and out of Terrance may have required a backup siding. Not many references of Old . . . — — Map (db m105430) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Mile 722.6 from San Francisco
The railroad siding at Ombey was completed in 1879. Within two years , a section house, tool house, and Chinese bunk and cookhouses had been constructed. The nearby facilities of Gravel Pit were abandoned in favor . . . — — Map (db m105344) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the right when traveling west.
Mile 727.3 from San Francisco
Peplin was a small temporary occupation. Central Pacific track layers reached this point on April 9, 1869, but the earliest documented use as a siding was 1888. The remains of Peplin siding can be seen in the . . . — — Map (db m105341) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the right when traveling west.
Mile 708.5 from San Francisco
This siding was built May 30, 1895 to accommodate increased traffic and possibly area ranchers. It appears than no support facilities were constructed at the site. Railroad records indicate that siding . . . — — Map (db m105429) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Mile 717.6 from San Francisco
The railroad siding at Romola was built in 1899 to meet increased rail traffic and the needs of local ranchers. The railroad was used by ranchers and cowboys as a way to move the cattle they raised to market . . . . — — Map (db m105347) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Terrace was the largest of the Central Pacific towns built in Utah. It was established in April 1869 as the maintenance and repair headquarters for the entire Salt Lake division. The railroad facilities here included and 8-track switchyard, a . . . — — Map (db m105434) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
As the town grew, so did the cemetery. Accidents, illness, and old age contributed to residents of Terrace being buried here. The cemetery has been slowly deteriorating, but was in fairly good condition until 1986 when vandals stole some of the . . . — — Map (db m105433) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the right when traveling west.
Mile 697.5 from San Francisco
This siding, built nearly 30 years after the laying of the track is evidence of ever increasing traffic and constant upgrading and improvement through the years as many as 10 trains a day used the Promontory . . . — — Map (db m105479) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Mile 699.8 from San Francisco
Following the abandonment of Terrace, Watercress served as a principle freight and siding for area ranchers early in the twentieth century. Railroad documents record the existence of corrals, a barn, a stock . . . — — Map (db m105437) HM
On Elm Grove Dr. south of W 2400 S, on the right when traveling north.
Three Mile Creek, later named Perry, originated in 1853 with the arrival in the Three Mile Creek Valley of the William Plummer Tippetts family and Lorenzo and May Perry. They were soon joined by William Walker, Thomas C. Young, Alex Perry, and . . . — — Map (db m240481) HM
Near Golden Spike Road (22000 West Road) at 6400 North Road.
He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done. — — Map (db m126140) HM
Near Golden Spike Road, 0.1 miles south of 6400 N Road.
An Icon Restored
In 1965, the National Park Service assumed ownership of the aging monument, which had been damaged by years of weathering and vandalism. The interior had also been severely damaged by ground water that had wicked up into . . . — — Map (db m67076) HM
On North 22300th Street West, on the right when traveling south.
"The last rail is laid, the spike is driven. The Pacific Railroad is completed." Here at Promontory, Utah, at 12:47 P.M. on May 10, 1869, the driving of a Golden Spike completed the first Transcontinental Railroad. Climax of a dramatic . . . — — Map (db m133654) HM
On North Stone Road, on the left when traveling south.
Curlew Valley, named after the curlew snipe that nests here, extends from Snowville, Utah, to the Idaho towns of Stone and Holbrook. The first recorded White men were Peter Skene Ogden's large party of trappers, who camped on Deep Creek . . . — — Map (db m240521) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the right when traveling west.
Mile 739.1 from San Francisco
Elinor was largely uninhabited. It was a long siding, measuring 2,300 feet in length, and was constructed in the early twentieth century to accommodate increased rail traffic. It was possibly also used as a freight . . . — — Map (db m105339) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the right. Reported damaged.
Mile 743.6 from San Francisco
Nella was an uninhabited siding built(?) in 1902 to serve local ranchers. The siding was removed in 1906, and relaid in 1916. In 191(?) a train car body and freight platform where present. — — Map (db m105308) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left when traveling west.
Mile 743 from San Francisco
The section station at Seco was established in 1873 to accommodate facilities moved from Ten-Mile, another section station three-and-a-half miles east. The work crews and inhabitants of Seco were mainly Chinese. . . . — — Map (db m105337) HM
On Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway, on the left.
Mile 746.6 from San Francisco
Ten-Mile was part of the long, circuitous route around the northern edge of the Great Salt Lake. Dry, inhospitable geography and steep railroad grades requiring helper locomotives in several locations led the . . . — — Map (db m105304) HM
On S 100 W at South Street, on the right when traveling north on S 100 W.
Settled March 31, 1851 by five families followed by six families in the fall. It was first called North Willow Creek and changed to Willard in 1857. The fort was built in 1853 to 1855, constructed of dirt and rock. The first grist mill was begun . . . — — Map (db m240488) HM
Near Willard Peak Road (Forest Road 84), on the right when traveling south.
Land abuse and uncontrolled fire in this basin brought about serious floods. In 1923 and 1936 two lives were lost, homes and valuable farmland were damaged. These lands were left barren and gullied.
Recognizing the need to restore this . . . — — Map (db m136327) HM
When the Willard Central School was constructed in 1902, a bell tower with a large brass bell was installed on the roof toward the front of the building. The bell was rung fifteen minutes before school began and again at noon. Students vied for . . . — — Map (db m240487) HM
On North Main Street at W 300 N, on the right when traveling north on North Main Street.
The Willard Pioneer Cemetery's first burial was August 1854 with the death of five-day-old John Memorial, Jr., son of John Memorial (Memory) and Samantha Wells
McCrary. This site, selected by Willard's first settlers, is located one block east . . . — — Map (db m240482) HM