Last updated: May 9, 2025
Place
#14 East Auto Tour
NPS/ncastoro
Choosing a Route
The Great Salt Lake created a sizeable barrier to the railroad. The Union Pacific entered the valley from the east through Weber Canyon into Ogden. The choice then was to go around the lake either to the north or the south. Residents of Salt Lake City pressed the railroads for a southerly route, which would bring it right through town.
Planning engineers recognized geologic evidence that suggested the northern route. Look across the valley at the level benches on the hillsides. These are old shorelines left when the lake was deeper and larger. The railroads eventually chose the route around the north end so the line would not be endangered by rising lake waters. In view of the lake's recent fluctuations, do you think they made the wise choice?
The Great Salt Lake created a sizeable barrier to the railroad. The Union Pacific entered the valley from the east through Weber Canyon into Ogden. The choice then was to go around the lake either to the north or the south. Residents of Salt Lake City pressed the railroads for a southerly route, which would bring it right through town.
Planning engineers recognized geologic evidence that suggested the northern route. Look across the valley at the level benches on the hillsides. These are old shorelines left when the lake was deeper and larger. The railroads eventually chose the route around the north end so the line would not be endangered by rising lake waters. In view of the lake's recent fluctuations, do you think they made the wise choice?