People and Rails
The Central Pacific Railroad began laying track east from Sacramento in
1863. After tackling the rugged terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
and crossing the Great Basin, the railroad reached Utah in March 1869.
After the rails were joined on May 10, 1869, the new railroad had to be
operated and maintained. Along the Promontory Branch, 28 sidings,
stations, and associated towns were built to service up to ten trains a day.
Kelton, with a population of about 700, had a major stagecoach line and
mail and freight route that supplied Idaho, Oregon, and the Intermountain
North.
Terrace, with nearly 1000 residents, was the largest community and served
as the maintenance headquarters for the Salt Lake Division. The town
included a roundhouse, a machine shop, and an eight-track switch yard,
along with hotels, a saloon, a library, bath-house, and many other thriving
businesses.
The promontory Branch of the railroad was replaced in 1904 by the Lucin
Cutoff, a shorter route built on pilings across the Great Salt Lake.
The original grade saw only local use afterwards, and railroad facilities
and dependent towns were soon abandoned. The rails
were removed in 1942 for use in the war effort.
Today, cattle graze where once
thousands labored to open the
West to industry and commerce.
Today's byway follows the last 90 miles
of grade laid by the Central Pacific
before their rails met the Union Pacific's
at Promontory Summit. The Transcontinental
Railroad Back Country Byway is interpreted at many
sites along the route on your public lands.
Don't miss the rest of our virtual tour of Golden Spike National Historical Site in 660 images.