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Show a" . - . U if IN THE STATION he housed a store, a blacksmith shop and a saloon. Also in his stop-ov- er stood a jailhouse made from native rock. Then in 1860, with the advent of the Pony Express, a Pony Express Station was also built at Echo. However, with the it was short-live- d coming of the telegraph in 1861. By this time Echo was a community. The marketed their profarmers duce to the constant stream of immigrants on their way to Salt Lake or California. thriving were themselves wide. With the 80 feet coming of the Echo Canyon in 1868 crews bored tunnels and built grades. Temporary tracks were often laid to haul away the rubble. rails down HUNDREDS OF MEN Naturally it was a pretty rough element. The settlers children were even forbidden to attend any entertainment in town or mingle with the people following --the con- struction crews. The first locomotive came tions. ry and several houses. Elias Asper bought a one-sto- ry hotel from the Union Pacific Railroad Company. It housed a store, dance hall and saloon. LATER A LARGE two-sto- ry The town housed several business institutions and three saloons. More settlers brick hotel known as the Echo Hotel wa,s built. came, taking up more farm land. Permanent homes were built. Echo began to grow. Then in 1868 Brigham native clay inr the back yard. Its dance hall was renown-a- s people came from sur- rounding areas to dance and to see special entertainment. This building also housed the largest store in' town as well as the post office. Two large warehouses were built, one nearly two hundred feet in length. The other was smaller, but had an ice house. As the trains brought in freight it was stored in the warehouses and sold through the stores.- Echo was the shopping Young bought the whole town site from James E. Bromley for the mere sum of $200.00. Salt Lake, City miniature. Fourteen broad avenues, some named after Brigham Youngs wives, run east and west. Streets run north and south. They encased blocks each measuring 270 x 290 feet. The avenues and streets HE DESIGNED a . -b- through Echo January 16, 1869. It was a momentous occasion with joyful celebra- hotel It was constructed with fo ft for Painting and Semites laihoad lastling west of Echo going down the checks. Bridge and building canyon. After the branch line crews were also stationed was built in 1880, to Coalville here, complete with cooks, and Park City another sec- - kitchen helpers and living tion crew, called the Branch quarters. City. The country was young, so section was put on. BUT ECHO, began to die. much was needed. A flour 1871 AT ONE TIME they had a mill was erected in Today, section crews are as which far cared for away yard crew, serving people transported by trucks to help as in as Evanston, Wyoming, town, other sections who need a railroad yards Each of these sections had large amount of repair done well as Summit County seta foreman and about 12 men, or track to be laid. All crews tlers. to on its most of them living in Echo, have trucks and think nothing stand Echo began Two maintainers kept the of driving to and from their own two feet. It was truly a town. Hell on. signals in repair, one for the homes, even hundreds of frontier line and one for the west, miles, for the major jobs, Wheels left its blot, givAn it a never has name Echo agent was hired at the Gangs now come from adiv- ing to able live down. been depot who was responsible ision, comprising many hun- for all money taken in and the dred miles a day for the Brigham Youngs Zion at never Rock of the day developed. Pulpit major jobs. business. With the heavy equipment Four to six telegraphers, and trucks for transporta- THE GRADE of Echo Cantransmitted messages tion, the work is soon fin- yon was so steep that HelpMorse code, along the ished, and they go on to the ers were needed. These railroad to other depots, giv- - next job. were engines that are attached to the rear of the ing the time of arrival and With the advent of diesel train to aid the engine by departures of the trains and, engines, the coal chutes be- pushing. After the train any vital messages pertain- - came a thing of the past, reached Wasatch the helper ing to the running of the Even so, the four chutes receivalso railroad. were turned around They built here played a big part engines sent ed and on a Y track to head back telegrams for in history. The first lost its to Echo. townspeople. usefulness, the second and ComHere the Railroad third burned and the fourth UNION PACIFIC proTHE rounda had was torn down after the diesel built large pany not round in vided housing for most of its engines were sent up the house. It was shape, but still the engines employees. At least 12 branch line as well as the with around be turned houses were built here plus main line. cauld turn-table. The water tank was kept the help of a living quarters for the agent of the depot. These houses for several years as a favor Four to six engines were at all were on good-si- ze lots and to those people living in com-we- re kept here in readiness rent-fre- e. times. These engines were House- - pany houses so their yards water-we- re and cleaned kept polished by keeping and garden supplies and gardens could be an assigned crew, who showalso provided free, ed as the town was short of ed their pride in the gleam water. It was finally taken Heat, lights and water were of metal and head lights. about 1966. down to its also were two-sto- Once center of Summit County. People came with teams and wagons for supplies from Coalville, Kamas and Park employed. Their homes on wheels followed as they laid the rails. Bromley built a large T f leha laaetiea Was LIFE IN ECHO began in 1854 when James E. Bromley, employe of the Overland Stage Co. made residence at the mouth of Echo Canyon, beneath the famed Pulpit Rock. He built the Weber Stage Station, one of the most important stage stops in the cross-count- ry route. There he received and dispatched the monthly mail delivery along with his other duties. - WITH ECHO - being midway between Ogden and Evanston a coal chute and a water tank were built to refuel the engines. The water was pumped from the Weber River. The water tank was centered between the east and west main line tracks with a spout on either side which was lowered into the water tank of the engine to be filled. The first coal chute was manual, the coal being shoveled into the engine coal bin. The first depot in Echo was a, large red building, placed between the tracks. A lawn was planted, having a large made of rocks which was kept whitewashed Cottonwood trees lined each side of the railroad tracks. A caretaker was hired to keep the yards in excellent condition as well as keep the depot clean. About 1911 a new depot was built on the east side of the tracks. The trees and lawn were destroyed, which causE-C-- Weed Control AVAILABLE for ed townspeople much sorrow as they delighted in the beauty of these yards. ENT THE DOUBLE TRACK was by the day laid during the early 1920s and Echos railroad yards were enlarged to accom- at the storing and switching of the train cars. modate WELLER REPAIR lost their at and earlier this time lives while building the railroad, are buried in pauper graves 'in the Echo City cemetery. Few carried identification. Many men who In Marion 8 Phone -- 783-471- Kamas Valley Soil Conservation District Section crews were also needed. Three were stationed here. One was called the east section going east of Echo, and up the canyon was called the West and worked ":;J Peggy Dee Wright, Educa-ea- st tion; Sonja Marie Argyle, Family Life, Donell ds R. and Seth Fitzgerald Kent terton, Agriculture; Kamas-Sanfo- Busi- Millin-wh- o Jane Roberta ness; er, Suzanne Milliner, Educa-i- n tion; Robyn Lynn McGregor Burns, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Harvey Fitzgerald, Kamas Theatre PHOM 783-446- June The Last of Sheila SATURDAY June ; i if MON 0 In Color A Matter of Winning WED. - SAT. FRI. MON. June. WALKING TALL Starring Joe Don Baker Elizabeth Hartman WEDNESDAY FRI. - June Paul Koslo 19-2- 1 Slim Pickens in Bootleggers SATURDAY . railroads most faithful .' 8-1- - Snowmobile Action all communications over the system. The railroad park, once the pride of Echo is now nothing but a graveled parking lot. the 5-- 7 Richard Benjamin Dyan Cannon In . MIKE TSOUKATOS, one of KAmAI 9 WED. . FRI. Echo now has one seJtlon foreman and a crew four, one agent and two operators a wor depot. There are no telegraphers, and telephone and radio take care $ t rd Win-recor- "kd. living r Agriculture; Chappell, Echo. But even so the town stores and post office business skyrocketed. 1S windows are boarded up The commissary was also and bats '"W tbe beltreS'-- a Sad but true, tew remain part of the gang where here today but the Echo the men bought clothes and when personal items, which were people plan for the day deducted from their pay- - their Echo City will live f Melvin Darrell Science; es, hit town in 1929 when the employes made and kept this railroad company built two park one of the most beautiful athouses with indoor plumbing spots in Echo a tourist traction as well. for the telegraphers. When Mike retired in 1965 It is estimated that bereturned to Greece, his and tween 80 and a 100 men were regular employees at native land, in 1966 the park abandoned. So the railroad Echo prior to the great dehauled in the pression of 1929. Most of companyto just make the present them lived here. Often there gravel day parking lot. Memory s would be extra gangs, housreed in boxcars, who would be of its beauty is all that here for months at a time to main. The building of real repair or build tracks. Fifty historiconly value left in the town to a 100 men were not unusual. This was home to most is the Echo Church house. It was constructed nearly of these men. 100 years ago, and is still No one had automobiles : i he on of U pU Several students from this area are listed among the 2100 students who are can-tdidates for degrees at Utah State University, Coalville-Lo- yal J. Pace, have been to sold and moved other locations. Many jobs have been eliminated. Today mechanization has taken over so many jobs on the railroad. many employees have found other work which has them to move away too.1 f the twelve railroad houses once here, but four remain, three being occup-secticaus-suppli- es N Receive Degrees at MOST HOUSES The only requirement of the tenants was tha they keep their house and yard clean and free from fire hazards. The first houses built were for the foremen. Then came where up the bunk-housto a dozen men, usually foreigners, lived together. Large families crammed into four-roo- m houses some having as many as nine children. ULTRA-MODER- LQcal Students y-day provided freely employes. Once each month a supply train traveled the length of the district and employees needing supplies met the train. A few of the items were lamps and chimneys, kerosene, mops, buckets, brooms, soap, and cleaning garden tools, shovel, rakes, even garden hose as well as hand tools and of course the supplies for the ' crews. again. June 22-2- - MON. 4 The Sound of Music Starring Julie Andrews Christopher Plummer FRI. WEDNESDAY June 26-2- 8 Someone Behind the Door PLUS Asylum SATURDAY June - 29-Ju- ly MON. 1 BOOT HILL Starring Woody Strode Terence Hill |