Central Utah Railroad Railroad- Brigham Young and the Mormons contracted to both the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads, grading from western Wyoming through what became the state of Utah, into Nevada. However, money was tight and it was difficult to collect from the Central Pacific, but they did get paid eventually. The cash-poor Union Pacific, was a different story. For over two years they made repeated attempts to collect on their mountainous debt of neary three quarters of a million dollars. Throughout the construction era of the Transcontinental Railroad, Young continually lobbied for the rail’s terminus to be in Salt Lake City, but was rebuffed repeatedly, since Ogden was designated as its terminus after the rails were joined at Promontory Summit. Unable to collect on the debt, the church eventually settled for surplus rails, ties, spikes and other supplies and an older, unused train from UP’s inventory. Findsing themselves in the railroad business, the Mormons immediately began constructing a spur from Ogden through Salt Lake City and on to Provo, after forming Utah Central Railway,completing the line a few months later.
Utah Northern- Corinne, Utah was established by non-members of the Mormon church, commonly called “gentiles,” by church members, who were intent on dethroning Salt Lake City and its heavily Mormon leadership as the commercial center of Utah. Corinne was the terminus through which ore from the goldfields of Idaho and especially Montana were delivered to the assayers and refineries in Salt Lake City. Since there was no railroad into Montana, ore was freighted by wagon to Corinne, then loaded with food and supplies for the minerson their return journeys. The mineral-rich Montana trade, already lucrative, became even more valuable when copper was discovered near Butte. At that time, Butte’s population reached 100,000, with their “copper kings” deemed to have the west’s second most influence, trailing only San Francisco. No love was lost between the Mormons and their neighboring Gentile-led community of Corinne. After the Central Utah line was completed, Brigham and the Mormons set their eyes on the lucrative Montana trade. Since Cache Valley, to the north was predominantly Mormon, a logical move was to construct a spur from near Corinne to Cache Valley, on to Soda Springs, where Brigham had property, then connect to the goldfields of Montana. Unlike the church-owned Utah Central, it was decided that a new company be formed, named the Utah Northern Railroad. Under the leadership of Brigham’s son, John W. Young, the company was funded by local Mormons, wishing to capitalize on envisioned profits. Geting off to a good start initially, progress slowed considerably as the line stretched through Cache Valley, whose population was much smaller and less experienced in constructing railroads. But, with this connection, many freighters, based in Corinne, moved their operations to Logan, which was 50 miles and more than two days closer to Montana.
Corinne Branch
Corinne responded by building a spur to connect with the Utah Northern north of Brigham City and their trade returned and Utah Northern floundered. Eventually the Utah Northern went into receivership and was bought out by Union Pacific’s Jay Gould for forty cents on the dollar. When the newly-formed Utah Northern’s track was completed to Oneida Station, now Arimo, the Corinne Branch was no longer needed and formally closed January 1, 1876. The rails were removed and its grade abandoned.
Utah and Northern Railroad- Infusing personal cash into the former Utah Northern, Jay Gould’s connections, vision and cash put new life into the company, now known as Utah and Northern Railroad. Though the Utah Northern had completed 14 miles of grading toward Soda Springs, that route was abandoned, with its new route traveling north of Preston, with the result that Corinne was now permanently out of the freight business and the town died.
From Brigham City, the line followed the west side oif the Wellsville Mountain Range, cut through Bear River Narrows, near present-day Beaver Dam, into Cache Valley to a line running from Petersboro, north to Cache Junction, through Newton, Swan Lake, Weston and Preston into Marsh Valley to McCammon. Under Gould’s direction the line pushed north and tracks were upgraded. Trains ran to Eagle Rock (now Idaho Falls) by July 4, 1879, two hundred miles from Ogden and 125 miles north of the Franklin terminus. The line reached Montana Territory by December 26, 1881 and arrived at Garrison Junction, its designated junction with Northen Pacific in November 1883.
Oregon Shortline Railroad, owned by Union Pacific. operated the line for many years
Utah and Northern Stops (north to south) include:
*Pocatello
*Inkom
Robbers Roost?
*McCammon (Harknesss)
*Oneida (Arimo)
Downey?
Red Rock Pass
*Utida
Swanlake
*Oxford- stop located several miles east of town
*Station Creek (north of Banida)
*Banida
*Coulam
*Winder
*Dunnville
*Battle Creek
*Bridgeport
Linrose?
Weston
*Cornish
*Trenton
*Newton
Cache Valley Branch Wellsville Branch
*Cache Junction
*Petersboro (Hampton Crossing)
*Mendon
*Wellsville
*Hyrum
Providence
Logan
* Bolds are verified
Source: “Railroads of Northern Utah and Southern Idaho,” by Frederick M. Huchel