When the Union Pacific Company was racing westward to meet the Central Pacific in the late 1860s, there was some argument about whether the best transcontinental route lay north of Great Salt Lake or to the south. The local Mormons were keen to run the route south to get their capital Salt Lake City on the main line, but UP surveys showed the northern route was better. The CP had also decided to grade north of the lake, and the two lines finally connected at Promontory in 1869 (there is a page on this website on the Golden Spike NHS at Promontory).
Eventually, a line would be built south of the lake to connect Salt Lake City directly with Oakland, CA, but this was not until the Western Pacific completed its route in 1909. Until then, the city had to make do with a branch line connecting with the transcontinental railroad at Ogden to access the California coast.
This page has photos of the old grade built by the Central Pacific and largely abandoned when the Lucin Cutoff was completed in 1904. The tracks were finally pulled up in 1942.
The western end of the old grade is accessed off Highway 30 about five miles south on Grouse Creek Road. Above, looking south on Grouse Creek Road.
The small, oasis-like copse of trees in the view above is the location of what was once "New" Lucin.
Water was piped there from the Pilot Range, which rises in the background of these views. It was stored in ponds to water locomotives before they embarked on the next leg of their journey.
The original township of Lucin was on the old grade about a half mile north east of here. When the Lucin Cutoff created a shorter, less difficult route across Salt Lake from Ogden in 1904, the township and name were relocated to the current site.
The name Lucin came from a local fossil bivalve, lucina subanta. There is also an apple-green, chert-like mineral that can be found in the area, which is variously known as Lucinite, Utahlite or Variscite.
Throughout its life at both locations, the population of Lucin comprised mainly employees of the Central Pacific and, after it leased the CP in 1885, the Southern Pacific. The township was eventually abandoned in 1936 but was briefly resettled in the 1960s by a group of retired railroad workers. By 1972, however, they had left.
Today, nothing remains at the site except a bullet-pocked sign and the tracks of what is now the Union Pacific Railroad. Some sixty-six miles from the western shore of Salt Lake, they rejoin the original grade about another mile east of this point.
Above, the current Union Pacific line heads north west. It curves round Gartney Mountain and Rhyolite Butte on the left.
On the left, Union Pacific tracks head north west. On the right, they head south east, running in an almost unbroken straight line to Salt Lake.
Above, about a mile from "new" Lucin, where the grade intersects Grouse Creek Road, there are two signs giving some historical background.
The grade can be driven almost its entire length from here to Promontory, but a 4-wheel drive is recommended. There are no facilities or services for ninety miles and the road is rough, so go prepared. Take extra water and food, and make sure someone knows where you are.
Above, a view looking north east along the start of the grade from the intersection with Grouse Creek Road.
The going may look easy here, but the grade is completely unpaved, there are some quite deep gullies along the way and, in summer, it is blisteringly hot. I blew a tyre on one of my trips and it was no fun changing the spare in the heat and dust!
Above, looking south west along the grade from the intersection with Grouse Creek Road towards Umbria.
A station briefly existed at Umbria, about a mile from here, and possibly a small settlement. However, in about 1875, the station was moved to "historic" Lucin.
The original Central Pacific grade joined the line from the Lucin Cutoff about two miles west of here at what became known as Umbria Junction, although there have never been any facilities there.
"Historic" Lucin is about a mile east of Grouse Creek Road. It was established in 1875, having relocated from Umbria. In 1904, it was renamed Grouse when "new" Lucin was established.
There is very little to see at the site now because of uncontrolled souvenir-hunting. While the line was in operation, however, there was a foreman's house and train car body on the north side of the grade, as well as a section house and a Chinese men's house on the south side.
Right, a view looking south west. Pilot Range is on the horizon. The three key geographic features left to right are the Nipple, Black Butte and Rhyolite Butte.
Like settlements along most of the old grade, Grouse was abandoned in 1907, soon after the Lucin Cutoff opened.
Medea Siding is six miles north east of "historic" Lucin. It was established in 1899 to service local sheep ranches. There were never any facilities at the site, and sheep were probably loaded onto stock cars directly from temporary pens at the siding.
The siding had a short life. It was removed in 1906, a few years after the Lucin Cutoff opened.
The Cutoff greatly reduced traffic on the grade. Only three trains a week passed through compared to ten a day previously, but ranches in this area were close enough to take their stock to "new" Lucin
Bovine was a section station established in 1869 as the Central Pacific laid track east.
It was named after herds of wild cattle roaming the area, apparently abandoned by emigrants heading west.
Above, looking south west from the location of the old Bovine railroad facilities. These originally included a section house, train car body, Chinese bunk and cook house, and a water tank.
According to contemporary Southern Pacific station plans, section gangs built a freight platform and replaced some of the Chinese bunkhouses in 1885.
Left, looking north east along the grade from Bovine. On the left of the view is the southern flank of the Bovine Mountains. The pale line across the middle distance is one of the many washes that cross the grade. They are dry in winter but can spring into life with any rain in the nearby hills.
Bovine was probably abandoned with completion of the Lucin Cutoff, although the siding continued to be used by local ranchers until services on the line ceased entirely in 1942.
Walden Siding was constructed in 1898, probably as a location for locomotives to pass one another.
Above, looking north east from the old bed of Walden Siding. There were never any facilities at this site
From Walden Siding, there are increasing numbers of decaying ties discarded along the sides of the grade, seen clearly in this photograph. Many still have spikes lodged in them that probably date from the early 20th Century.
The view above is looking north east a few miles east of Walden Siding. In the distance, you can see evidence of another wash crossing the grade. The road often swings down into gullies at these points.
Above, this open deck stone culvert is a few miles east of Walden. Stone culverts were the most widely used means of bridging smaller washes and gullies
None of the old bridge structures along the grade is strong enough to take the load of modern vehicles.
Watercress was established in 1910 after nearby Terrace was abandoned.
The view above is looking west from the north side of the grade. It is difficult to be sure what structures these footprints in the ruins represent. However, in the middle distance, there appears to be a shallow depression that was once a stock pond.
There is no record of Watercress in the 19th Century but, after Terrace was abandoned and the water line rerouted, this became the main freight station for local ranchers.
The site continued in use until it was finally abandoned in the early 1940s when the railroad line was taken up by the Southern Pacific.
There were no living quarters or station buildings here but, in the 1920s, the site included a freight siding, a loading platform, barn, corrals and a water tank.
On the right, three views of the ruins of what the National Park Service has identified as a root cellar at the site.
Above, a view looking north east along the grade from Watercress.
Terrace is about two miles from here.
Above, the grade approaches Terrace.
Although it looks level here, the grade is actually rising very slightly as it heads east.
Terrace was established in April 1869 as the maintenance and repair depot for the entire Salt Lake Division stretching over two hundred miles from Ogden, UT, to Wells, NV. Facilities included a sixteen stall roundhouse, eight track switching yard, coal shed, water tank, machine shop, railroad offices and a combined depot and hotel
A twelve mile wooden aqueduct initially supplied Terrace with water for domestic and railroad use from springs in the Grouse Creek Mountains. It was replaced by a metal pipe in 1887.
Businesses lined a wide avenue north of the old grade in the area shown below. They included a barber, restaurant, general store, meat market and a fruit and vegetable supplier. There was also a communal structure known as the Athenium, with bath houses and library or reading room.
At its peak, the township had a population of about a thousand, including some five hundred Chinese.
The CP grade was laid mainly by Chinese labourers brought in from Canton. Faced with labour shortages early on, Charles Crocker, CP Board member, pushed for their recruitment and they proved to be hard working, sober employees.
After completion of the line, many Chinese workers stayed on as railroad workers, storekeepers, launderers and waiters.
At Terrace, they occupied an area at the east of the township. An 1880 census noted that they were mostly railroad employees, but included a storekeeper, a grocer and a laundry owner. The only woman was a twenty-eight year old prostitute!
Above, three views of the Terrace switching yard. The first is looking west. The second two are looking east.
Above looking east, this depression is all that's left of the sixteen stall roundhouse and turntable.
Remains of the old machine shop east of the roundhouse.
Above, remains of the old railroad offices and shops
Remains of the old water tower.
Remains of the Coal House looking east.
Another view of the Coal House.
Terrace was almost entirely dependent on the railroad and began an inevitable decline after the Lucin Cutoff was opened. There also appears to have been a serious fire in the early 20th Century, which hastened the process.
Nevertheless, the township clung on for a few more years, still boasting the services of its Justice of the Peace and Constable in 1908. Finally, the maintenance shops were moved to Carlin, NV, and in 1910, Terrace was abandoned.
Just to the east of the old township is the cemetery. Sadly, vandals have been at work and very few headstones survive intact.
Old Terrace is a mile east . There was probably never a settlement here but heavy traffic in and out of Terrace may have required a back up siding. It is possible a water storage tank was also located here.
The enclosure in the background is bare, but may have contained a grave or graves. It is similar to a graveyard enclosure at Kelton, thirty miles east of here.
Above, the site of a derelict bridge, now gone, just east of Terrace. The road curves off to the left to avoid the bridge, which cannot take the weight of vehicles. The "flashed" posts are to alert drivers to the hazard.
Six miles east of Terrace is a siding at Red Dome.
It was completed in 1895 to meet increased railroad activity and possibly to serve the needs of local ranchers. There appears never to have been a township here.
Above, looking north east from Red Dome siding.
On the left of the view, an outcrop of Red Dome Mountain, which gave the siding its name.
The panorama above is looking north east a few miles east of Red Dome. The Horse Hills are on the horizon on the right. Coyote Hill is in the middle.
This view gives some idea of the challenge faced in constructing the line. In places, the undulating landscape called for long shallow embankments such as this one. Virtually all the earth moving was done with hand tools and horse drawn carts.
The Central Pacific was paid $16,000 per mile in thirty-year 6% government bonds to build over easy grades, $32,000 per mile in the high plains and $48,000 per mile in the mountains. However, the cost per mile varied depending on the actual terrain.
In 1888, a Senate Select Committee estimated the cost to the CP of its seven hundred and thirty-seven mile line at about $36,000,000, although this was disputed.
Fifteen to twenty-five people lived at Matlin, a section station. Although little is left now, remains suggest a significant part of the population was Chinese.
Looking north east along the old grade from Matlin.
This view looking west shows the western arm of the wye installed in 1900.
Above, a view looking south west shows the eastern arm of the wye. As with so many settlements along the line, completion of the Lucin Cutoff in 1904 prompted abandonment of Matlin.
Above, looking south west from the eastern junction of the wye. A line of ties curving away to the right reveals the trace of the eastern arm of the wye.
Romola Siding was built in 1899 to meet increased rail traffic and the needs of local ranchers.
The bridge on the left just west of Romola Siding is a good surviving example of a single stringer trestle with large wooden wings. The photo is taken looking south.
The wooden trestle bridge on the right is just east of Romola Siding. When first built, in the rush to get to Promontory, many of these bridges were laid on simple timber sills.
The subsequent work of "piling" was carried out by mainly Chinese section gangs. Piling entailed digging deep holes to take wooden foundation poles. Without these, the bridges were prone to wash out when heavy rains fell. Piles were also supported by "riprap" (rocks, boulders, used boiler bricks and other trash) to reduce under cutting.
Southern Pacific track plans indicate that a loading platform and train car body were located at Romola, but there was no settlement.
Nothing remains at the site now, except for the faint lay of the old siding.
Above, looking south west along the bed of the old siding.
The view above is looking north east along the old siding.
The grade heads east towards Ombey. On the right, the southern flank of the Matlin Mountains.
A few miles on, the grade passes over this small open deck stone culvert.
Above, the old grade sweeps majestically to the north east. Ombey is roughly at the centre of this view.
On the right, like many along the old grade, the NPS Ombey marker is badly shot up.
Below, a wye was installed in 1900, probably to turn the helper locomotives introduced at around that time to assist trains over "Red Dome Hill".
Hansel Mountains are in the distance to the north west.
The north east leg of the wye curves away to the left in the panorama above. The south east leg runs across the centre of the view. What was once the main line is on the right.
A small town was established at Ombey to provide freight services to local ranchers. The three views above and right show the site of the old settlement. It comprised a section house, tool house, bunk house and cook house. The population appears to have been mainly Chinese.
The upper left is looking west with Terrace Mountain in the distance. The upper right is looking south with Sheep Mountain on the horizon. The view on the right is looking north to the Horse Hills.
On the left, looking north along the grade from just past the wye at Ombey. The old settlement was on the left of this view.
From here, the grade enters a shallow cut and a two mile horseshoe curve. You can see this on maps of the area or on Google at these coordinates: 41.647775,-113.220892
At the end of the horseshoe curve in the view above, the grade pulls away from the road.
From here, it runs at a distance north of Old Railroad Grade Road and, about five miles on, cuts through an outcrop of Peplin Mountain. The cut is visible mid horizon in the view on the right.
Above, the grade cuts through an outcrop of Peplin Mountain.
Below, a view of the eastern end of the cut and embankment.
Above, the grade emerges from the eastern end of the cut.
Peplin was roughly centre left on the embankment in this view.
It appears to have been created in 1888. Prior to that, there is no record of it on Central Pacific or Southern Pacific maps.
It consisted of a bumper spur, stationary car body and loading platform. There may have been a small settlement there at some time.
Further on, a view from Old Railroad Grade Road as the grade curves north round Peplin Mountain. The road is about 100' below the old grade here.
Just to the right of the panorama above, the grade recrosses Old Railroad Grade Road.
Above, looking west from the crossing, the old Union Pacific grade rounds the flank of Peplin Mountain.
Both Union Pacific and Central Pacific grades cut through here.
Below, looking south from the crossing. The flank of Hogup Mountains is on the right.
Below, looking east from the grade crossing. The Promontory Mountains are on the distant horizon.
Although undoubtedly beautiful, this is a harsh landscape.
Above, a view of the grade as it skirts Great Salt Lake nearing Zias Siding.
Above, looking south west close to Zias Siding. The old Central Pacific grade parallels the road here.
Above, Great Salt Lake shimmers in the midday heat.
Zias Siding consisted of only a single track that was probably installed to serve the growing needs of local ranchers in about 1902. Once again, this siding had a very short life. It was apparently abandoned in 1906, two years after the Lucin Cutoff opened in 1904.
According to the National Parks Service survey, a small refuse dump was also located on the site.
Looming over Zias Siding, on the left in the photo above, is the beetling brow of 4,505' high Table Mountain.
Looking south west from Zias Siding towards Peplin Mountain.
Here, the grade is too rough for vehicular traffic, and you turn onto Old Railroad Grade Road.
Looking north east towards Kelton. The Raft River Mountains are on the left. The Wild Cat Hills are on the right.
Above, looking north east approaching Kelton.
The bridges and culverts that carried the rails over washes are now too weak to take traffic so, here, the road swings off to the south. It rejoins the old grade once past the old bridge.
This box culvert with wooden wings crosses Indian Creek at the western end of Kelton. The wings and posts are probably California redwood.
Wooden structure such as these were creosoted to protect them from the elements, and a very faint bloom of the old creosote can still be seen on the wings of this bridge.
The panorama below takes in the site of the settlement at Kelton looking east from the north western edge of town. The cemetery is just out of view on the right of this view.
When the first section hands arrived in 1869, the location was called Indian Creek after the creek that ran south, mostly dry it must be said, from the Raft River Mountains through the settlement. However, it was soon renamed Kelton in honour of a local stockman.
The view above is looking east from the south western end of the old settlement across the site of what was once the Kelton turntable. The barrier at the rise in the middle of the view appears to be the remains of a spur line running to the engine house.
The ruins in the foreground are all that remain of the various railroad buildings once standing at this location. These included a depot, turntable, engine house, water tank, pump house and section house, as well as spurs and sidings. By 1900, a wye had been built in this location west of town to facilitate handling of heavier locomotives.
Above, looking north east. The depot building would have been just to the right of the raised spur in this view. The eastern end of the Wild Cat Hills are on the horizon on the far left. The Hansel Mountains are on the right.
The fence in the panorama above looking south west appears to be an old stock corral. The stone structure may have been part of an adjoining building.
Kelton served as a section station for the Central Pacific. Large water cisterns were located here and daily trains of water cars ran to stations on the division. The settlement was also the southern terminus of the Utah, Idaho and Oregon Stage Company and a station on the Overland Mail. Stagecoaches left town daily destined for Boise (a two day trip), Walla Walla (four days) and connecting with Oregon Steam Navigation Company ships at Umatilla on the Columbia River to Portland (five and a half days).
The possibility of mining gold in the Black Pine district twenty-five miles north of Kelton promised future riches for Kelton in the 1880s, but these never eventuated.
Above, ruins looking south west.
Above, ruins looking north.
Above, ruins looking west.
Still, Kelton initially thrived: in a typical year during the 1870s, six million pounds of supplies were loaded from trains onto wagons in exchange for wool, furs and cattle at Kelton.
Fenced graves in the cemetery.
Above, remains of a water well.
Above, the water well appears to be a relatively recent addition.
Water was a precious commodity in this arid region, and was originally piped seven miles to Kelton from the foot of the Raft River Mountains.
Ironically, the cemetery at the north western edge of the old settlement has proved the most durable remnant of the settlement, although it appears to have been the target of souvenir hunters and vandals down the years.
Above, the overgrown remains of two tombstones in the cemetery.
There were about a hundred people living at Kelton in 1870 and, in the late 1870s, its population peaked at about two hundred, plus an uncounted Chinese population of some size. The settlement then boasted a two storey hotel, a post office, blacksmith shop, stables, two liquor stores, three general stores and a salt works. There was also a store selling "Drugs and Notions, Books, Stationary" that served as agent for the Utah, Idaho and Oregon Stage Company.
Below, a view looking east along the old grade. The Hansel Mountains are on the horizon.
The structure just visible on the left of the grade in the distance is the Historic Wheeler Survey Marker. Rising on the right is what may have been the old spur to the engine house.
Kelton's prosperity declined with completion of the Oregon Shortline Railroad in 1881 and its merger with the Utah & Northern in 1889, as the new line came to monopolise freight trade to the northwest. After the Lucin Cutoff opened, the line became a backup in case of problems on the Lucin Cutoff and trains dropped to weekly services.
Although it still served as a shipping point for local trade from Snowville, Yost and Park Valley and supported a post office, general store, telegraph office and hotel, by 1937, the township's population had dwindled to just forty-seven.
Above, a photo of the Historic Wheeler Survey Marker. The now badly weathered, bullet pocked and barely legible inscription reads:
Historic Wheeler Survey Marker
In 1889 the United States Army sent First Lieutenant George M. Wheeler on a brief reconnaissance which later created the Country's 'Geographical Survey West of the One Hundredth Meridian.' This survey gave our leaders the first accurate mapping of the Western half of the Country, collecting data of the natural history, geology, geography, climate, weather and ethnology.
The marker stone is also worn by wind and rain, as well as a few shotgun pellets!
Wheeler led a team through California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Idaho and New Mexico to map and gather information for future military operations, road and rail building. They also catalogued natural resources and the location and population of Native American tribes.
Elinor is five miles east of Kelton. Monument Peak, at the south east end of the Hansel Mountains is straight ahead in the view above. It is 5,999' high.
A 2,300' long siding was built at Elinor in 1902 but, evidently, no settlement of any kind and nothing remains at the site now. The original siding was just to the left of the old grade in this view looking east, and may have been built to accommodate increased traffic on the line.
Although nothing remains of it here, railroads like the Central Pacific specified special roadbeds for arid regions subject to sudden, heavy rain falls such as northern Utah. These stipulated the height to which the bed must be raised above ground level, the width and depth of side excavations and the use of sand or other permeable material that would drain water quickly and prevent the wooden ties from "pumping" or swelling with water.
Above, a siding was built one and a half miles west of Seco in 1872, although it did not feature any structures of any kind. The siding ran close to the original grade, just to the left of the road in the view above looking east.
The small town of Seco itself was established in 1873 to accommodate facilities moved from Ten-Mile, three and a half miles east.
The work crews at this section station were mainly Chinese. Although no official figures are available, about twenty-five people appear to have lived here at any one time during the height of the line's operation.
Above, a view looking north. This single stringer wooden trestle bridge is a few miles west of Nella Siding.
The siding was built in 1902 to service local ranchers.
The siding was pulled up in 1906, two years after the Lucin Cutoff opened. It was relaid in 1916 possibly to meet a sudden increase in local demand.
Above, looking west along the trace of the old siding at Nella, which runs north of the old grade.
The Raft River Mountains are in the distance.
Above, looking east along the trace of the old siding.
In 1917, a car body and freight platform were located here, but there was never any settlement of any kind.
The 1862 Pacific Railroad Act required construction of a telegraph line to parallel the line. This was built on the south side of the grade, i.e. on the right in the view above, but there is no evidence of it now.
Above, the Old Railroad Grade Road crosses Locomotive Springs Road just east of Nella Siding. About a mile south on Locomotive Springs Road there are two fresh water lakes.
It's not clear how Locomotive Springs got it's name. It would be tempting to say that water was drawn from the lakes to feed locomotives, but there is no record of this.
James Williams' 1879 Pacific Tourist, curiously refers to the lakes as puffing out steam at times, which gave them their name (p.167). You can browse Pacific Tourist from the books and manuals page of this website.
Looking west along Old Railroad Grade Road from the intersection.
Looking south down Locomotive Springs Road.
Looking east.
Above, as far as I can tell by GPS tracking from Monument, this was once the location of Ten-Mile. The view is looking south west across the old grade with the Raft River Mountains in the distance.
A section station opened at
Ten-Mile in 1869. The name was derived from its distance west of the Lake section buildings. There was a section house, train car body and water tank here but, in 1873, the facilities were moved to Seco.
This long, circuitous route over the top of Salt Lake with its dry, inhospitable geography and heavy grades requiring helper locomotives in a number of locations, made a convincing case for finding an alternative, more direct route. The Lucin Cutoff reduced the distance by 43.8 miles, and eliminated 3,919° of curvature and 1,515' of climb, thereby decreasing the steepest grade east of Lucin from 90' per mile to 21'.
Above, looking east along the old grade nearing Monument.
Driving the grade can be challenging here. Old Railroad Grade Road runs a few yards north, parallel to the grade, and is an easier drive.
Looking west from Monument. A rail spur ran off to the left of this view to the Desert Salt Works, which provided employment for some of the twenty-five or so inhabitants of the settlement.
It's not clear when the works closed but, in later years, local ranchers still used a siding here. A wye was also in place from at least 1879.
Above, looking south to Lone Rock.
This area is also known as Monument Point.
Looking east to North Promontory Mountains.
Mount Tarpey is on the far right.
Above, a view looking east from Monument Point. The mountain at the centre of this view is Monument Peak, which gave the section station and location its name.
From here, the old grade skirts the south eastern flank of the Hansel Mountains and then makes a wide, 270° turn across Salt Wells Flat through Kosmo and Lake to Metataurus on the western flank of the North Promontory Mountains. The grade is not driveable until a few miles north of Metataurus.
As is evident in the engraved vignette on the left above, in the 19th Century, Lone Rock was surrounded by water (James Williams, Pacific Tourist, 1879, p.167).
As Williams describes it, "an isolated rock rises, like a monument, in the lake on the left, while the hill on the right is crowned with turrets and projecting domes. You have here a grand view of the lake, its islands and shores, with promontories, etc., ... When the strong south wind blows, the waves, dashing against the rocks on the shore, and the rolling white caps in the distance, form a beautiful view which the tourist, after passing the dreary waste, will appreciate".
The vignette is based on a Southern Pacific promotional photograph of the "Jupiter" at Monument Point in May 1869. It was taken by Alfred A. Hart, then official photographer for the Central Pacific. The "Jupiter" is carrying Leland Stanford and other Central Pacific dignitaries to Promontory for the ceremonial driving of the Golden Spike on 10th May.
You can browse this book from the books and manuals page of this website, as well as downloading a word searchable pdf version from there. You can also see photographs of a replica "Jupiter" on the NHS Golden Spike page of this website.
The view above is looking south west towards Monument from Salt Wells Road.
Monument Peak is on the right of this view and Monument Rock is in the centre. The Hogup Mountains stretch across the horizon on the left.
Above, a view looking south from Salt Wells Road to the distant outlines of the Cedar Mountains, Stansbury Mountains and Oquirrh Mountains bordering the southern end of the lake.
The trace of the old grade is just visible as it cuts across the scrub in the middle foreground of this view.
Above, about three miles from Monument, this view is looking south east across to the old grade from Cedar Springs Road.
Two sidings, were constructed in this area, which was known as Kosmo. The first was built in 1901 for the railroad. The second, built in 1912, served the Salt Lake Potash Company, which had a railroad spur, pools, canals and a processing station at the site. Potash was used in the making of gunpowder and, up until WWI, it had mainly been supplied by Germany. However, with the approach of war, potash became difficult to acquire and made its harvesting from Salt Lake a viable industry.
The section station at Kosmo comprised bunk houses, a cook house, garage, corral, general store, blacksmith shop, coal house and train car body to serve as the depot. Even long after the Lucin Cutoff opened, in 1924, some two hundred people still lived in Kosmo.
Above, looking south west from 28400W towards where the settlement of Lake was located.
Above, looking south west from 28400W. The old location of Lake is just out of view on the right.
Above, distant view of Lake from the north west a few miles further on 28400W.
Conditions were quite wet out on the salt flat because of its proximity to the water table. This may have necessitated building two settlements a mile apart at West Lake and East Lake.
East Lake, established in 1869, contained the railroad section buildings. A siding was then built at West Lake in 1877 and a wye in 1899. Both settlements were inhabited: in 1879, about one hundred people were recorded living there, the majority of whom were probably Chinese labourers.
Above, looking north west. The old grade coming in from the left joins 28400W.
Above, approaching Metataurus. This view is looking north. Monument Peak is centre left.
Above, north of Metataurus on the old grade. This view is looking south.
Above, another view north of Metataurus looking south on the old grade.
In the panorama above, the Union Pacific grade cuts from the right at a lower elevation as it parallels the old Central Pacific grade. Black Mountain is in the distance on the right.
Both railroads surveyed and graded hundreds of miles in advance of their rail head in an effort to secure the maximum commercial advantage. Although they did not need to actually lay rails, the 1864 Pacific Railway Act had increased land grants to each company from ten to twenty sections per mile graded (each section was 6,400 acres). In total, the companies would be granted thirty-three million acres, and the act also gave them rights to any iron or coal deposits found.
In fact, the Central Pacific hoped to lay rails as far east as what is now Evanston, WY, and had graded into Echo Canyon west of Ogden, UT. The Union Pacific had actually surveyed to the California coast and graded as far west as Wells, NV, before the decision was made to join the two lines at Promontory.
The competition resulted in some tension. At one point, Union Pacific workers were forbidden to work within 200' of the Central Pacific line but, by and large, the two construction crews worked alongside each other without incident. When blasting cuts nearby, they quickly decided to notify each other before setting off the charge.
Above, a view along the old grade looking north from the location of Metataurus.
The remains of the siding that was built here are hidden in the grass on the right of the view. There were never any facilities or a settlement here.
Above, a mile or so south of Metataurus looking south.
After coming off Salt Wells Flat, the grade begins a heavy climb through Metataurus up the side of Lake Ridge on the west flank of the North Promontory Mountains. From here, it turns through almost 360° in sixteen miles before arriving at Promontory.
Above, a view along the old Central Pacific grade as it approaches a small cut. The view is looking south.
Centre is a few hundred yards beyond, and the old Union Pacific grade runs just out of view on the right.
Above, a view looking north from the other side of the cut. The top of an unused parallel cut made by the Union Pacific can just be made out on the middle left. Centre is behind the position of this view.
From this point, the grade begins to swing back to head east, although still climbing, towards Rozel.
Above, a view along the bed of the old siding at Centre. The view is looking south. The Central Pacific grade is on the right and the very faint line of the Union Pacific grade is on the upper right.
There are few records of Centre and no evidence that there were ever any facilities or a settlement here. The siding was apparently built in 1879 but had fallen into disuse by 1890.
Above, another view looking south with the old siding on the left. The Stansbury Mountains are in the distance.
Above, the National Park Service marker at Centre.
Because the entire grade was formed of only a single track, sidings like the one at Centre were built to permit trains to pass each other without holding up sections of the line. As locomotives became more powerful and faster, however, Centre was probably no longer used because of its proximity to Rozel just three miles east.
Above, a view looking north west a few miles west of Rozel.
Above, a view looking south east towards Rozel. The line will round the right hand side of the outcrop straight ahead before entering Promontory Hollow.
Above, the National Park Service marker at Rozel.
The panorama above takes in the site of Rozel. A siding was built here in 1869 and, later, a wye. It was an important stop, as helper engines stationed here were attached to assist freight trains heading east up through Promontory Hollow.
About twenty-five people are recorded living here in 1870. Other structures mentioned include a section house, train car body, bunk house, cook house and water tank. Like many sites along the grade, however, Rozel declined after the Lucin Cutoff was opened. By 1917, the only facilities that remained were a water tower, freight platform and bake oven.
There are few remains at the site now, and it's uncertain whether any of these are from the 19th Century.
Rozel was originally named "Victory" on 30th April 1869 when Central Pacific workers rested for lunch after laying six miles of track during the famous "ten-mile race" (for more on this race, see the Golden Spike NHS page on this website).
Just south of Rozel, the official back country byway ends.
Looking north towards Rozel.
Looking south from the byway marker sign.
You can pick up the story of the Central Pacific grade from here on the Golden Spike NHS page of this website.
Related Links:
Historic Central Pacific Grade Locations
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
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Much of my information was drawn from Anan S. Raymond and Richard E. Fike's Rails East to Promontory, published by the Utah Bureau of Land Management in 1981 (click on the cover to search for this book on Bookfinder.com).
The content is available on line at:
www.nps.gov/.../online_books/blm/ut/8/contents.htm.