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Research Oral History |
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(recollections of Marion [Brown] Woodward 1889 - 1964) Contributed by Adolph Reeder - Brigham City
A population of about 150 people consisting of between 20 and 30 families and several single laborers (firemen and section crews). Most of the engineers and brakemen were married men with families. The homes were of lumber construction, from three to six rooms. These were built on both sides of the tracks. All were one story except the section house, which was a two-story building. Several dugouts housed section laborers. A Chinese lived in one. He sold fire works to children on the fourth of July. The depot, telegraph office, waiting room, railroad restaurant and two apartments were all in one building. One apartment was for the operator and his family and the other one was where my family lived. My father, T.G. Brown, operated the restaurant and a small store at one end of the restaurant. Meals were prepared for the passengers going through. A count was taken at Corinne of those desiring meals, then this count was telegraphed to Promontory thus giving my father the number requiring meals. He had two Chinese cooks and three waitresses employed. My father and mother acted as host and hostess. I well remember when ever the train whistled at the one mile mark from town (Promontory), we children always made a beeline for our living quarters. Father had taught us no children in the dining room while trains were in the yard. I do not know just how many people were feed, more than fifty daily I know. Meals were served for 50 cents. A large roundhouse to accommodate six or eight engines. A large snowplow was always housed in the roundhouse. It was used every winter to clear snow from the cuts over the mountains. A turntable, which took care of all, tracks leading into the roundhouse. An oil and storage room where oil and oil cans were used to clean the engines. Tools etc. were stored in this room always kept under lock and key. A coal unloading elevated tracks in the west end of town. Several tracks had open pits about the length of an engine. These were used to clean ashes from the engines. About six to eight helper engines were stationed at Promontory. These engines made trips over the hill to Blue Creek to help westbound trains over the hill; also went to Lake where eastbound trains were helped over the hill to Promontory. I imagine about six to eight passenger trains and eight to ten freight trains daily went through the station. A large water tank where engines took on water, a cistern near the depot was filled with water that was hauled in water cars and this water supplied the town with drinking water. The water trains made about two trips weekly, it would keep cisterns and water tanks filled from Corinne to Lake. A little one room red schoolhouse where I and my sisters and brother attended school and in later years I taught school in the same building. Well I remember one cold morning the teacher took ashes from the stove and put them out side next to the building to cover up a hole. They were hot, as you can guess the building caught on fire. There being no water the building burned down. Luckily no one was hurt. A new schoolhouse was built a little larger than the first one and also painted red. To my knowledge that was the only fire in Promontory. My father owned and operated a large cattle ranch on the shores of Great Salt Lake just twelve miles from the station. This was called the Fort. This property now owned by Browning's. Father was postmaster, sheriff, storekeeper and a school trustee. Several Indians lived in the mountains around Promontory. They used to come to Promontory and trade buckskin gloves and belts for sheep pelts and groceries. There are many happy memories about Promontory that still linger. Also some sad memories. My sister Katie had her finger cut off in the turntable. I have a bad scare from a burn caused by stepping in a hot ash pit. An engine exploded killing three of our best friends. The Bar N ranch located one mile north of the station, town-folk called this the big house. It was a large frame house. I believe 33 rooms and a three story building with a large porch all around it. Mr. Crocker of San Francisco, a wealthy railroad man, owned this. It was managed by Al Nelson. I was only thirteen years old when we left Promontory so there are many things I do not recall.
1889 - 1964 |
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