A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
One-hundred years ago, many Utahns relied on train travel and the Junction City was there to meet those needs.
Ogden, the second largest community in Utah in 1924, was a railroad town from the beginning of rail existence in the West. A key hub for coast-to-coast travel, Ogden boasted the West’s largest rail switching terminal for many years, and the railroad was Ogden’s top industry for about 50 years. Presidents, sports figures, church leaders and celebrities gave many a speech from the caboose of trains in Ogden as they traveled east and west.
And the city’s downtown crown jewel was Union Station.
The week of Nov. 21, 1924, was a celebration as the new Union Station building was to be dedicated in Ogden.
The building, which is now owned by the city and houses a trio of museums and other amenities, was formally dedicated on Nov. 22, though the cornerstone was laid on May 31, and Ogden residents had been touring the new building for several days. The new station replaced the prior station, completed in 1889 but destroyed in a 1923 fire.
The Deseret News covered the unveiling of the new building, predicted to set Ogden up for business success in the years to come.
“Confidence in Ogden growth is expressed; speakers at dedication of new union depot at Ogden recall part played by Brigham Young,” read the front page headline of the day.
President Young had donated five acres of land to the existing railroad company to build a depot station. More than 1,500 attended the dedication of the new station, which cost $400,000 to build. The newspaper article noted that moving pictures were taken at the event.
Union Station still presides over Ogden’s 25th Street, now full of shops and boutiques and cafes, as well as its farmers market. In 1924, when it was known as “Two-Bit Street,” it housed saloons, fancy hotels and casinos.
Earlier this year, the cornerstone was excavated in Ogden, and revealed a sealed box full of old newspapers, pictures, railroad timetables and promotional material about the city.
Today, the station hosts model train festivals, railroad conventions and historic engines when they travel across the West.
Ogden will hold celebrations this weekend to commemorate the centennial. Here are some stories from Deseret News and KSL.com archives about Ogden’s Union Station and its railroad history:
“100-year-old time capsule at Ogden’s Union Station yields train timetables, newspapers, pictures”
“Railroad a prominent part of Ogden’s history”
“From ‘2-Bit’ to ‘historic 25th’”
“25 years of restoration work on Union Station locomotive”
“Photos: Last Union Pacific steam locomotive on display in Ogden”
“Thousands turn out as Big Boy locomotive rolls into Ogden”
“Historic rail car seems destined to rust away”
“Historic train restoration stalls at Ogden’s Union Station”
