From Timber to Tourism
In 1862, the transcontinental railroad, which ran just tot he north of this area, was completed at
Promontory Point, Utah. Trees from the north slope of the Uintas played a crucial role in this
monumental effort that opened up the west. Railroad ties were hewn from pine and spruce
trees by woodsmen known as the hacks. The tie hacks worked year round to build and maintain
the railroad through the late 1800's.
During this same time period, a conservation movement was growing across the United State.
This movement resulted in the designation of national forest reserveds. The Uintah Forest
Reserve, which included much of the Uinta Mountains, was among the first eleven reserves
created in 1897. Managed by the newly formed Forest Service, the Uintah Forest Reserve was a
multi-use area. Today, this area of the forest is part of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and
still continues to serve many uses including grazing, timber, mining and recreation.
As Utah's population grew, the primary use of the forest
changed from timber to recreation. Automobiles began carrying
visitors up the new road from Kamas to Mirror Lake in 1925. The
road reached Evanston by 1942. Today this road, the Mirror Lake
Scenic Byway, brings thousands of visitors each year to the High
Uintas to fish, camp and hike - the same woods that once
echoed with the sounds of a growing nation.
