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About Corinne
Corinne was founded on the 25th of March, 1869 on the Union Pacific Railroad which was soon to become the first transcontinental railroad when it reached the Central Pacific Railroad some 25 miles west at what is now Golden Spike Historic Site. The site selected was at the point where the railroad crossed the Bear River. The Bear River flows into Great Salt Lake just to the south of the town, and the terrain is very flat for many miles in every direction, and many oxbow lakes remain from former courses of the river. To the east the Wasatch Mountains form a dramatic end to the flatlands, and Brigham City, the largest city of the area, lies at their feet.
Corinne was named by General J.A. Williamson after his fourteen year old daughter. They were among the founders of the town.
Corinne was known as the "Gentile Capital of Utah,' Gentile meaning non-Mormon. Having driven the Mormons out of Missouri and Illinois, murdering many and assuming the rest would die on the plains, the "gentiles" were anxious to gain control over the Mormons and the empire they had built in the west. This group of anti-Mormons including army officers founded the town of Corinne in a strategic location where they thought to take control of Utah politically and economically. With the support of newspapers and political leaders in the east, they attempted to get J.A. Williamson installed as the territorial governor of Utah, and to have Corinne designated as its capital. Fortunately, these ambitions were not realized.
In 1874 the Mormons built the Utah Northern Railroad from Ogden to Franklin, Idaho. In 1877, it was extended into Marsh Valley, and intersected the Montana Trail. Freighter wagon traffic, previously coming to Corinne to reach the railroad, no longer provided the economic advantage for the city, and the gentile merchants relocated to Ogden or elsewhere. Mormon pioneers bought up the farmland and Corinne was converted into a Mormon community.
During its heyday, Corinne, which boasted a population of 1,000 non-Mormons, was very different from the quiet and industrious Mormon settlements. Fifteen saloons and sixteen liquor stores, gunfights and swarms of raucous railroad and stagecoach travelers provided plenty of excitement for the town. It also boasted an opera house which was the largest outside of Salt Lake City where plays were performed and movies shown up until 1952 when it was razed. The oldest Protestant Church still standing in Utah is in Corinne, preserved as a museum.
The population of Corinne was 685 in the year 2010. The elevation is 4,226 feet. Utah Highway 13 passes through Corinne, intersecting Utah Highway 83 on the west side of town. Highway 13 heads southeast to Brigham City, and north to Bear River City. Highway 83 heads northwest to Golden Spike Monument.
For More Information:
Read about Corinne in Wikipedia.