Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All USU Press Publications USU Press 2008 Over the Range Richard V. Francaviglia Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usupress_pubs Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Francaviglia, R. V. (2008). Over the range: A history of the Promontory Summit route of the Pacific ailrr oad. Logan: Utah State University Press. This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the USU Press at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All USU Press Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Over the Range Photo by author Photographed at Promontory, Utah, in 2007, the curving panel toward the rear of Union Pacifi c 119’s tender (coal car) shows the colorful and ornate artwork incorporated into American locomotives in the Victorian era. Over the Range A History of the Promontory Summit Route of the Pacifi c Railroad Richard V. Francaviglia Utah State University Press Logan, Utah Copyright ©2008 Utah State University Press All rights reserved Utah State University Press Logan, Utah 84322-7200 www.usu.edu/usupress Manufactured in the United States of America Printed on recycled, acid-free paper ISBN: 978-0-87421-705-6 (cloth) ISBN: 978-0-87421-706-3 (e-book) Manufactured in China Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Francaviglia, Richard V. Over the range : a history of the Promontory summit route of the Pacifi c / Richard V. Francaviglia. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-87421-705-6 (cloth : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-87421-706-3 (e-book) 1. Pacifi c railroads. 2. Railroads--West (U.S.)--History. 3. Union Pacifi c Railway Company. 4. Central Pacifi c Railroad Company--History. 5. Railroads--History. I. Title. HE2763.F73 2008 385.3’120979242--dc22 2008025853 To David F. Myrick, historian and author, whose books on the railroads of the American West continue to inspire Contents Acknowledgments viii Introduction 1 Chapter 1 — Envisioning Promontory (1820–1850) 5 Chapter 2 — In the Path of History (1850–1865) 38 Chapter 3 — The Battle of the Maps (1865–1868) 67 Chapter 4 — A Moment of Glory: Promontory, 1869 101 Chapter 5 — On the Early Mainline (1869–1875) 143 Chapter 6 — Big Time Railroading (1875–1904) 172 Chapter 7 — A Regional Branchline (1904–1942) 208 Chapter 8 — A Changing Countryside & Landscape (1904–1942) 243 Chapter 9 — Remembering Promontory (1942–Present) 277 Epilogue: Full Circle 306 Notes 307 Index 323 Acknowledgments n telling the story of how the area around Promontory Summit devel- Ioped in relation to the railroad, I not only traveled to the Golden Spike National Historic Site numerous times, but also conducted histor- ical research in archives and through interviews. Both were very pleas- ant experiences. Promontory Summit and its environs are fascinating but so, too, are the individuals and groups who care about its history. Many kind people helped me in this endeavor to tell Promontory’s story, and I would be remiss if I did not thank them here. First and foremost is Robert (Bob) Spude, of the National Park Service, who sought out my services for this project. Bob knew me in my role as a historical resources consultant and professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. However, he also knew about my love of railroad history and my love for the Great Basin, the subject of two of my recent books. More to the point, though, he provided me a weeklong introduction to the site in July 2005, after which he sent box after box of fi les to our university so that I could begin work on the project. Bob introduced me to the enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and helpful staff at the Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Summit. Superintendent Maggie Johnson, who passed away before this book could be published, was a joy to work with and will be missed by all. My contacts at the visitors’ center, including acting superintendent Tammy Benson, lead park ranger Valerie Steffen, historical archaeologist Melissa Cobern, and archaeologist Bret Guisto, kindly shared information and helped me make numerous local contacts who I later interviewed. These included Delone Glover of Brigham City, and Merlin and Doris Larsen, whose ranch lies along the east slope of the Promontory Mountains. Bob Spude also introduced me to Michael Polk and his able staff of archaeologists and historians at Sagebrush Consultants in Ogden, Utah. They proved to be extremely helpful as I consulted Promontory viii Acknowledgments line materials that Michael had collected since the early 1980s. Wendy Simmons Johnson at Sagebrush Consultants kindly provided a won- derful photograph from her personal family collection. Michael per- sonally provided me valuable information as I spent several days at his offi ce in Ogden, and for that I am especially grateful. The staff at the Box Elder County Courthouse in Brigham City were especially helpful in locating historic maps of the old railroad right of way. Over the years, I have developed a number of excellent historical con- tacts in this region. These include Noel Carmack of Utah State University in Logan; Michael (Mike) Landon of the archives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City; Phil Notarianni, director of the Utah State Historical Society; and Utah railroad authority Don Strack of Centerville. At the Nevada Historical Society archives in Reno, Eric Moody was also quite helpful. Outside the region, associates like Jim Ackerman of the Newberry Library in Chicago, and Peter Blodgett of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, were extremely helpful. Peter put me in touch with Huntington staff member Dixie Dillon, who helped me gain access to a crucial document that shed new light on the Mormons’ role in surveying the railroad in Promontory and vicinity. Helpful, too, was the staff at the DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University, including Anne Peterson and Cynthia Franco. The staff at the Denver Public Library helped me gain access to their treasure trove of historical photographs. In Sacramento at the western terminus of the original Pacifi c Railroad, the California State Railroad Museum (CSRM) staff also provided numerous materials. In particular, CSRM Curator of History & Technology Kyle Wyatt shared his expertise with me on several occasions. At the Union Pacifi c Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa, John Bromley was especially helpful. So, too, were the staff members at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, which houses a consid- erable collection of Union Pacifi c materials. At the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, fellow geographer and railroad historian Richard Smith helped me gain access to numerous unpublished maps. David Myrick, the dean of western railroad historians, kindly answered my questions about Promontory despite the fact that he was “wrapping up” two books on other railroads in the Intermountain West at the time. Another former SP employee, Lynn Farrar, also helped point me to his- toric source material. A new associate, John Masters of Wichita, Kansas, provided valuable information on the 1903 Curved Dash Oldsmobile— one of the very fi rst automobiles to travel through Promontory. Several colleagues and associates at my university also assisted immeasurably. These include Ben Huseman, of UT Arlington’s Special Collections, who—along with other staff members—provided numerous ix Over the Range maps from our extensive cartographic collections. UT Arlington grad- uate Nate Kogan kindly provided a copy of a Mormon mural featur- ing a painting of the golden spike ceremony at the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair. Ann Jennings, secretary at the Center for Greater Southwestern Studies and the History of Cartography was my right-hand person from the beginning to the conclusion of this project. In addi- tion to typing the original and many revised drafts of the manuscript, Ann made travel arrangements, secured materials, and kept track of paperwork on this multi-year grant-funded project. Without her help, the help of the other people mentioned above, and some I’ve probably missed mentioning, this book could not have been written. x Introduction n the 1890s, travel writers faced a daunting task: spectacular west- Iern sights often tempted them to write fanciful, exaggerated prose for the public. One writer, Stanley Wood, claimed that he had resisted that temptation when he wrote the popular book Over the Range to the Golden Gate.1 As Wood put it in his preface, “No attempt will be made at ‘fi ne writing’; every effort will be made to state just such facts as the traveler would like to know, and to state these facts in clear and explicit language.” Like Stanley Wood, I hope to share new facts about a por- tion of the same transcontinental railroad line that he traversed as he went “Over the Range,” which is to say, across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacifi c. However, unlike Wood, I shall dwell in considerable detail on just one portion of the fi rst transcontinental railroad, the section over Promontory Summit. And unlike Wood, I must admit to having an emotional attachment to the area under discussion. The countryside in the vicinity of Promontory, with its abrupt mountains, dazzling salt fl ats, and sweeping vistas, is as enchanting as it is interesting. Hopefully, that admission will enable readers to understand why I will provide some personal aesthetic insights, as well as facts, about this part of the Great Basin. In the process of traveling over the Promontory Range on his fact- fi nding mission, Stanley Wood made some insightful comments about the countryside travelers saw on the famed transcontinental railroad.