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Utah and Northern Railway

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304:. Union Pacific quickly resumed construction on the Utah & Northern Railway after purchase in April 1878. Jay Gould invested personal money to get construction started just beyond Franklin in the fall of 1877. The new plan was not to build the road to Soda Springs, but to build a longer road on a direct route through the Cache Valley, then north across eastern Idaho and north across western Montana to Butte, Montana. In the first year of construction, they reached Eagle Rock (now 277: 125: 500: 259:
by extending the railroad into Idaho. There were tentative plans to eventually extend the Utah Northern to Montana. The road was constructed northward from the Union Pacific line at Ogden commencing construction on August 24, 1871. In three years, the largely volunteer railroad company had built
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that had been settled almost entirely by the Mormons. It was a case of Mormons forming a company and building their own railroad because existing railroad companies showed no interest in building such a railroad. The northern half of the Cache Valley is in Idaho and, due to claims and disputes by the
251:, that lies in a valley beyond called the Bear River Valley. This was by dictate of Brigham Young as he owned land in Soda Springs and believed that the Bear River Valley had potential for further Mormon settlement. The Mormons also believed they could break the monopoly that the anti-Mormon town of 316:
at the Idaho/Montana border. After three and a half years of construction, before the close of 1881, they completed the additional 120 miles (190 km) of road to Butte, Montana. Butte became the largest copper producing city in the world and Butte's population, by some estimates, grew to nearly
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acquired the Utah Northern Railroad, changing the name to the Utah & Northern Railway and infused the railroad with capital. Big business knew that an electrical age was coming and that the demand for copper products was putting pressure on copper prices. They knew that there were rich copper
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and the railroad was now moving into the northern half of the Cache Valley where there were fewer Mormon volunteers due to this area only recently having been relinquished by the Bannock and Shoshone. Poor decisions by the planners and the lack of business from the frugal residents of the
321:," the second largest city in the West with more influence than Salt Lake City, Denver, Sacramento, Seattle, or Portland. Only San Francisco remained larger and more important. Butte, with its large-scale mining and smelting operations, was dubbed the Pittsburg of the West. 246:
that forced the Shoshone and Bannock onto reservations. The original Mormon plan for the Utah Northern was to build a railroad to the communities in the Cache Valley and about 60 miles (97 km) into Idaho to
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on July 25, 1887 only six years after completing the line to Butte. The railroad operated successfully for several years and finally became a branch of the Union Pacific Railroad.
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The original 75 miles (121 km) of the Utah Northern Railroad (later named Utah & Northern Railway) was conceived and built by the Mormons. It was a
193: 637: 177: 647: 632: 222: 642: 225:. The labor for this railroad was largely volunteer Mormon labor as the intent of the railroad was to serve the Mormon communities in the 657: 627: 662: 652: 617: 380: 385: 375: 243: 488: 607: 569: 550: 612: 602: 264:, across the Idaho border, in May 1874 where construction was halted. Investors had become hesitant after the 312:
in early 1879. In the second year, they added another 90 miles (140 km) of track and crossed the
622: 308:), 120 miles (190 km) north of the Utah/Idaho border, where they built a bridge across the 273:
led to the bankruptcy and foreclosure sale of the Utah Northern only a few years later in 1878.
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Roadside marker noting route of Utah & Northern Railway through
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Ferrell, Mallory Hope; Hauck, Cornelius W.; Myers, Rex C. (1981).
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Union Pacific Railroad Track Profile (Report). February 11, 2004.
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Utah & Northern Bridge at Eagle Rock (Idaho Falls), Idaho
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during the 1870s and 1880s. It was the first railroad in
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Indians, was not settled by the Mormons until after the
495:. July 7, 1879. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. 540: 523: 455: 440: 428: 404: 594: 587:Ogden Rails: Utah Northern, Utah & Northern 466: 464: 260:75 miles (121 km) of road. It reached 255:, had on the wagon freight business on the 638:Predecessors of the Union Pacific Railroad 324:The Utah & Northern was switched from 461: 648:Railway companies disestablished in 1889 633:3 ft gauge railways in the United States 275: 123: 595: 559: 416: 295:transformed the Utah Northern. He and 643:Railway companies established in 1878 317:100,000. This made Butte, with its " 386:Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway 13: 287:with railroad shops in background. 14: 674: 658:Narrow gauge railroads in Montana 580: 471:Ives, Stephen (director) (2004). 628:Pre-statehood history of Montana 564:(First ed.). Caxton Press. 498: 381:Utah Southern Railroad (1871–81) 16:Former American railroad company 663:Narrow gauge railroads in Idaho 533: 524:Ferrell, Hauck & Myers 1981 456:Ferrell, Hauck & Myers 1981 441:Ferrell, Hauck & Myers 1981 429:Ferrell, Hauck & Myers 1981 405:Ferrell, Hauck & Myers 1981 376:Utah Central Railroad (1869–81) 653:Narrow gauge railroads in Utah 618:Pre-statehood history of Idaho 517: 506: 481: 434: 422: 410: 398: 1: 391: 281: 168:. The line was acquired by a 545:. Colorado Railroad Museum. 7: 560:Madsen, Brigham D. (1980). 543:Colorado Rail Annual No. 15 369: 300:deposits at the mines near 244:Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868 138:Utah & Northern Railway 22:Utah & Northern Railway 10: 679: 608:Defunct Montana railroads 223:transcontinental railroad 144:that was operated in the 104: 68: 63: 55: 41: 31: 26: 613:Defunct Idaho railroads 603:Defunct Utah railroads 288: 170:Union Pacific Railroad 133: 130:Franklin County, Idaho 562:The Northern Shoshoni 279: 186:Pocatello Subdivision 127: 489:"Utah and Northern" 249:Soda Springs, Idaho 240:Bear River Massacre 194:Montana Subdivision 23: 314:continental divide 306:Idaho Falls, Idaho 289: 134: 56:Dates of operation 21: 477:(Motion picture). 178:Ogden Subdivision 174:Oregon Short Line 154:Montana Territory 148:and later in the 122: 121: 670: 589:(with citations) 575: 556: 527: 526:, pp. 55–56 521: 515: 514: 510: 504: 503: 502: 496: 485: 479: 478: 468: 459: 453: 444: 438: 432: 426: 420: 419:, pp. 33–36 414: 408: 402: 365: 359: 355: 353: 352: 348: 345: 333: 328: 286: 283: 212: 207: 190:Pocatello, Idaho 172:subsidiary, the 117: 112: 100: 94: 90: 88: 87: 83: 80: 24: 20: 678: 677: 673: 672: 671: 669: 668: 667: 593: 592: 583: 578: 572: 553: 536: 531: 530: 522: 518: 512: 511: 507: 497: 487: 486: 482: 470: 469: 462: 454: 447: 439: 435: 427: 423: 415: 411: 407:, pp. 9–10 403: 399: 394: 372: 361: 357: 350: 346: 343: 341: 340:4 ft  339: 331: 326: 284: 262:Franklin, Idaho 242:and subsequent 221:portion of the 210: 205: 184:), part of the 182:McCammon, Idaho 156:in the western 150:Idaho Territory 115: 110: 96: 92: 85: 81: 78: 76: 75:4 ft  74: 59:1871–1889 17: 12: 11: 5: 676: 666: 665: 660: 655: 650: 645: 640: 635: 630: 625: 623:Utah Territory 620: 615: 610: 605: 591: 590: 582: 581:External links 579: 577: 576: 571:978-0870042669 570: 557: 552:978-0918654151 551: 537: 535: 532: 529: 528: 516: 505: 480: 460: 445: 433: 421: 409: 396: 395: 393: 390: 389: 388: 383: 378: 371: 368: 363:standard gauge 302:Butte, Montana 198:Butte, Montana 196:(Pocatello to 146:Utah Territory 120: 119: 106: 105:Previous gauge 102: 101: 98:standard gauge 72: 66: 65: 61: 60: 57: 53: 52: 50:Butte, Montana 43: 39: 38: 33: 29: 28: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 675: 664: 661: 659: 656: 654: 651: 649: 646: 644: 641: 639: 636: 634: 631: 629: 626: 624: 621: 619: 616: 614: 611: 609: 606: 604: 601: 600: 598: 588: 585: 584: 573: 567: 563: 558: 554: 548: 544: 539: 538: 525: 520: 509: 501: 494: 490: 484: 476: 475: 467: 465: 457: 452: 450: 442: 437: 430: 425: 418: 413: 406: 401: 397: 387: 384: 382: 379: 377: 374: 373: 367: 364: 358:1,435 mm 337: 329: 322: 320: 315: 311: 307: 303: 298: 297:Union Pacific 294: 291:Robber baron 278: 274: 272: 267: 266:panic of 1873 263: 258: 257:Montana Trail 254: 253:Corinne, Utah 250: 245: 241: 237: 233: 228: 224: 220: 219:Union Pacific 217:spur off the 216: 208: 201: 199: 195: 191: 188:(McCammon to 187: 183: 179: 175: 171: 167: 163: 159: 158:United States 155: 151: 147: 143: 140:is a defunct 139: 131: 126: 113: 107: 103: 99: 93:1,435 mm 73: 71: 67: 62: 58: 54: 51: 47: 44: 40: 37: 34: 30: 25: 19: 561: 542: 534:Bibliography 519: 508: 493:Deseret News 492: 483: 472: 458:, p. 31 443:, p. 12 436: 431:, p. 14 424: 412: 400: 336:narrow gauge 323: 319:Copper Kings 290: 271:Cache Valley 227:Cache Valley 215:narrow gauge 202: 137: 135: 32:Headquarters 18: 417:Madsen 1980 332:914 mm 310:Snake River 285: 1880 211:914 mm 192:), and the 116:914 mm 108:originally 70:Track gauge 46:Ogden, Utah 36:Ogden, Utah 597:Categories 392:References 180:(Ogden to 327:3 ft 293:Jay Gould 206:3 ft 111:3 ft 64:Technical 474:The West 370:See also 354: in 232:Shoshone 142:railroad 89: in 27:Overview 349:⁄ 236:Bannock 166:Montana 164:and in 118:) gauge 84:⁄ 568:  549:  42:Locale 162:Idaho 48:, to 566:ISBN 547:ISBN 234:and 152:and 136:The 338:to 200:). 599:: 491:. 463:^ 448:^ 360:) 334:) 282:c. 213:) 95:) 574:. 555:. 356:( 351:2 347:1 344:+ 342:8 330:( 209:( 132:. 114:( 91:( 86:2 82:1 79:+ 77:8

Index

Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Butte, Montana
Track gauge
standard gauge
3 ft

Franklin County, Idaho
railroad
Utah Territory
Idaho Territory
Montana Territory
United States
Idaho
Montana
Union Pacific Railroad
Oregon Short Line
Ogden Subdivision
McCammon, Idaho
Pocatello Subdivision
Pocatello, Idaho
Montana Subdivision
Butte, Montana
3 ft
narrow gauge
Union Pacific
transcontinental railroad
Cache Valley
Shoshone
Bannock

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