The Railroad in Southeastern Idaho

For generations, the railroad was the dominant force in southeastern Idaho, and its payroll the largest in the country. The Oregon Short Line Railroad laid the original track through southeast Idaho. Organized in 1881, the line was intended to be the shortest route (“the short line”) from Wyoming to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. According to J. Patrick Wilde, “By the early 1880s the Oregon Shortline Railway Company had determined to construct a line from the Union Pacific tracks in Granger, Wyoming to Huntington, Oregon, where it would connect with the Oregon Railroad and Navigational Company, thus continuing to Portland and the Pacific Ocean.”

Construction began in 1881 and completed in 1884, reaching Montpelier, Idaho, on August 5, 1882, and then McCammon, Idaho, in the Fall of 1882. The OSL became a part of the Union Pacific System in the Harriman reorganization of 1898.

According to the late Professor Emeritus, Merrill D. Beal of Idaho State University, the Oregon Shortline Railroad was one of the easiest routes of (railroad) construction within the State of Idaho because much of the route simply followed an earlier migration route- the Oregon Trail. Construction moved rapidly because they simply followed the path of least resistance, which had already been established by the Oregon Trail travelers. It took less than four years to build the rail line from Granger, Wyoming to its terminus in Oregon. Of the first 542 miles built, 434 miles were in what would become the State of Idaho five years later.

By July 24, 1882, passenger trains were moving through Montpelier on a regular basis. The Oregon Shortline had considered making McCammon, ID a major terminal… but construction was delayed because McCammon had not cleared the right-of-way, missing its chance to become the line’s main hub. Instead, Montpelier was developed as a main terminal, and in the 1920s Montpelier was the second largest terminal on the entire route. During the early part of the 20th century the railroad publicized tours of Yellowstone National Park from Idaho Falls, Idaho, to West Yellowstone, Montana.

At its peak, depots were located throughout the Bear Lake Valley at Border, Pegram, Dingle, Montpelier, Georgetown, Ovid and Paris, but only the Montpelier depot remains today. It was once possible for a passenger to load for east or west at any of the depots. For years Montpelier boasted an engine repair shop, a round house and passenger service, and there was a large operating ice plant just north of Montpelier.

The spur between Montpelier and Paris, ID (about ten miles) became known as the “Ping Pong route.” In its short period of existence the route had more wrecks than any other section of the Oregon Shortline. Within two days after the route was open and before a fence-line restricting cattle along the right-of-way was completed, three cows were hit and killed, and the engine’s front wheels jumped the track. As a result a clanging bell was mounted to the front of the engines, giving the line its nick name, “Ping Pong.” The constant clang of the bells kept the cattle back so well that the fence was never completed.

During the 1960s the changing nature of railroads caused a reorganization of services, and Montpelier’s status as a terminal diminished. Its long-held reputation as a “railroad town” changed rapidly as once-essential services were removed. Many jobs were lost and a once-thriving business community suffered.

The area is more diversified now, with agriculture, mining and tourism important economic factors. Though still an important part of the community, railroad’s impact to the area has changed dramatically. Whistles still blow, as freight trains travel through the area, but an important era in Montpelier closed when the railroad re-organized.

Source: Wikipedia, 2021 Tidbits: Odd and Obscure Amazing- Amusing Facts, Stories, Statistics of Bear Lake History, by J. Patrick Wilde, published by Watkins Printing copyright 1997.