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The Utah-Idaho Central Railroad: Northern Utah’s Interurban Experience: Traces and Memories of the U.I.C.

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Traces and Memories of the U.I.C.

A Brief History of the Utah Idaho Central Railroad (U.I.C.) with Footage and Images

This video reviews the history and impact of the Utah-Idaho Central Railroad. Taken from the Charles Smiley Presents® film Electric Rails of Utah, it provides actual footage and photographs from the U.I.C. in many areas in northern Utah. The film can be found for purchase at: https://cspmovies.com/?page=1. A copy is also available for viewing in Special Collections & Archives at the Merrill-Cazier Library of Utah State University.

(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Media MEDIA COLL 2 no. 86)

David Eccles, Ogden City Mayor, 1887-1888<br />
David Eccles as mayor of Ogden, Utah, 1887–1888
[Click image to view full-size photo]

(Utah Division of Archives and Records Service, Utah State Archives, Ogden [Utah] City Recorder Mayors Photographs, Series 27746, Box 1, Folder 2, David Eccles [1887–1888] http://images.archives.utah.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/27746/id/39/rec/6)

At the turn of the twentieth century, David Eccles had an idea that would forever change the affairs of Ogden and Cache Valley, Utah and Idaho. Beginning in 1900, he and his associates created a company that would expand and develop into the lands and hearts of the people living in Ogden, Preston, and the many other communities in between. For forty-seven years, its trains and buses shaped the daily life of individuals, businesses, organizations, and local governments within an increasingly connected nation and world. From the beginnings of the two Rapid Transit Companies to the establishment of the O.L.I and then the U.I.C., the operation of the railroad permanently influenced the towns and cities it serviced, and it left a lasting memory that continues today.

"Bridge Going Nowhere," Herald Journal, June 1961<br />
A newspaper article discussing the East Quinney Branch Bridge and a brief history of the U.I.C.
[Click image, scroll to second image, and click second image to view full document]

(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Leonard J. Arrington Papers, 1839–1999 LJAHA MSS 001, Series 7, Box 47, Folder 5, Item 110)
U.I.C.'s East Quinney Branch Bridge, 1967<br />
The U.I.C.’s East Quinney Branch Bridge
[Click image to view full-size photo]

(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2312)
U.I.C. Bridge, Beaver Dam Divide, 1978<br />
A U.I.C. bridge crossing the Beaver Dam Divide near Petersboro, Utah
[Click image to view full-size photo]

(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2350)

Though the tracks, engines, some stations, and other features of the railroad no longer exist, there are physical features that can still be traced to the operation of the U.I.C. The stations that still stand have been discussed and continue to be used for both commercial and residential purposes.[1] In Utah Ghost Rails, a number of previous U.I.C. railroad grades are mentioned that can be seen in locations throughout Cache Valley and northern Utah. Some of these grades were constructed by the Eccles Investment Corporation for U.I.C. purposes, others were those that the U.I.C. inherited from the Utah Northern Railroad. Carr notes that the most visible sections of grade today can be seen in stretches near Deweyville, Collinston, and the foothills of Mendon; near the present highway between Wellsville and Hyrum; near Lewiston and Trenton; and within the city of Ogden. Others have been covered by the construction of buildings, modern roads, or even the Pineview Reservoir covering part of the Ogden Canyon Line grade near Huntsville.[2] Some railroad bridges also stand in connection with the railroad grades. Many of these, such as the East Quinney Branch Bridge, have been removed and repurposed.

"17 Years Ago, A Railroad Died," Unknown Newspaper, 1964<br />
A newspaper article commemorating the seventeenth anniversary of the final U.I.C. train operation
[Click image, scroll to second image, and click second image to view full document]

(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Newell Hart papers, 1860–1983 CAINE MSS 3, Box 16, Folder 9, Item 4)
"Utah, Idaho Central Made Last Run 25 Years Ago," The Citizen, 1972<br />
A newspaper article commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the final U.I.C. train operation
[Click image, scroll to second image, and click second image to view full document]

(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Newell Hart papers, 1860–1983 CAINE MSS 3, Box 16, Folder 9, Item 2)

Local newspapers have also memorialized the U.I.C. and its operations on anniversaries of the operation of the last train, as well as with the discovery of remnants of the railroad and its features. Recently, construction work on Center Street in Logan unveiled the tracks that were once used by the Logan Rapid Transit Company beginning in 1910 and that were used as streetcar tracks by the O.L.I. and U.I.C. until the mid-1920s. The Herald Journal provided photos and a brief summary of the history of the tracks, as well as additional items that were once associated with the train. A PDF of that information is displayed below and can also be viewed at the following location: https://www.hjnews.com/news/local/unearthed-center-street-project-exposes-long-buried-logan-trolley-tracks/article_0345f2fc-6c7b-5f46-84a1-158fa3033633.html.

"Unearthed," The Herald Journal, 2019<br />
A Herald Journal PDF layout titled “Unearthed” with information regarding the history of the railroad as well as artifacts discovered during a recent construction project on Center Street in Logan
[Click image, then click image again to view full document]

(The Herald Journal, “Unearthed: Center Street project exposes long-buried Logan trolley tracks,” 8/6/2019, https://www.hjnews.com/news/local/unearthed-center-street-project-exposes-long-buried-logan-trolley-tracks/article_0345f2fc-6c7b-5f46-84a1-158fa3033633.html)
View of Malad Valley from U.I.C. Grade, 1978<br />
A view of Malad Valley from the old U.I.C. Railroad grade
[Click image to view full-size photo]

(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2349)
View of Bear River Valley from U.I.C. Grade, 1978<br />
A view of Clarkston Mountain and the Bear River Valley from the old U.I.C. Railroad grade
[Click image to view full-size photo]

(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2352)

Outside of the physical traces that remain, memories continue to carry the story of the Utah-Idaho Central Railroad and those who once lived within or visited the areas serviced by the train. Ira Swett in Interurbans of Utah used such memories to re-create the trip one might once have experienced while riding along the U.I.C. “Want to ride the UIC from Ogden all the way to Preston?” says Swett, “Actually it’s impossible--- but in memory we can and will!” Following these words, Swett describes a trip starting with the purchase of a ticket for the 9:45 a.m. train to Preston in the Ogden Station. One can then read of the sights, sounds, smells, and other experiences that a rider may have had while traveling along the Utah-Idaho Central. After describing each community, points of interest, and details of the U.I.C. throughout the route, it ends with the arrival of the train at 12:55 p.m.[3] These memories, the documents, photographs, newspaper articles, etc. together help to reconstruct the railroad for us today, and provide a small glimpse as to what life may have been like for Cache Valley travelers in the early twentieth century. Though gone forever, the effects and experiences of the interurban, consisting of the Ogden Rapid Transit Company; the Logan Rapid Transit Company; the Ogden, Logan and Idaho Railway Company; and the Utah-Idaho Central Railroad Company continue to live on in the heart and spirit of Cache Valley and northern Utah.

[1] See page 9, “Stations and Records,” for details on the locations and modern uses of previous Utah-Idaho Central Railroad stations.
[2] Carr, 30–32.
[3] Swett, 79–82. Note that this is a hypothetical trip without any stops; a normal trip would take longer as previously discussed.