Show d k lt y y l ri 1 f ti s a Y r w I I UINTAH RAILWAY nearing the top of of Baxter Pass on its run between Watson Utah Utah and Mack Colo In the early days of railroading In the Uintah Basin Photos courtesy of Charles J. J Neal i Early Railroading g in Basin LW L t W Was S Our Greatest Gre lest Industry With talk coming from the Four Corners Comers organization regarding regarding regarding re re- garding a railroad line to tap the eastern half of Utah and extend as far south as Gallup N No M M. we think back to the railroad which at one time served the Uintah Basin from the east It was said by one in la authority author authority author author- ity that had the Uintah Railway been extended to Vernal the gilsonite refining plant would I have been located here and a pipe pipeline line would not have been constructed to a a plant in Colorado Colo Colo- rado rad BACK IN the early twenties there was considerable talk of ofa ofa ofa a standard gauge railroad into the Basin from either Denver or Salt Salt Lake Surveys ware were made made by at least four companies Many families families' moved to the Basin with the understanding that a rail line would soon soon be serving the are area area If the proposed line line is built from Gallup to Moab there Isa is isa isa a possibility that the Uintah Basin might be Included in the plans and the line come on up over the Book Cliffs THE STORY of ot the building and operation of the Uintah Railway Railway Rail Rail- way is entrancing Many people of the Basin were benefited directly dir or indirectly by the line Now it has gone down in history history his his- tory and the once busy points along the road are ghost townsA towns A few crumbled mounds are all that remain of the railroad terminal terminal term term- inal and mining camps The following interesting account account ac ac- count of the railroad was contained contained con con- in the book The Story of Gilsonite by Herbert F F. F Kretchman and published by the American Gilsonite Company NEED FOR A RAILROAD Many new uses for Gilsonite were being developed but the Gilson Asphaltum Company was unable to supply the demand because of transport limitations The closest railroad to the new and much richer Gilsonite deposits deposits de de- posits around the White River was the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad which followed follow follow- ed the Colorado River from Grand Junction westward into Utah In 1903 construction of a direct rail link was undertaken between the veins and the railroad rail rail- road During the the summer crews built wagon roads from the Gilsonite Gilsonite Gil Gil- properties at Dragon Utah to the north side of the Book Cliffs Cuffs mountains Other crews built a road from a point pointon on the the- railroad west of Grand Junction to the south side of the mountains fountains The next fall and winter a route was surveyed across the across the mount mountains ins through Baxter Pass William A A. A Banks and a crew drove the first stake on the pass October 5 5 Laying of steel for a narrow gauge railway began almost al most immediately and the road was completed the following September TRUCKS REPLACE RAILROAD In Ina a a number of ways this was wasa a very strange railroad While it served well for a time it was was' soon outmoded by the development development de de- of a modern modem truck transport Completed in 1904 the road was abandoned in 1937 The original 53 53 mlle mile railroad was constructed through rugged country in less than a year It featured some of the sharpest curves and steepest grades in railroading history For several miles going over the 8 foot foot Baxter Pass the grades reached an astonishing seven and one one- half per cent cents Frank Baxter for whom Bax Baxter Baxter Baxter ter Pass was later named was divisional manager for the Denver Denver Den Den- ver and Rio Grande He had done some exploring to find the be best t route to cross cross cross' the these e mg rugged mountains which separate the e Colorado and White River dr drain drain- ages He was a br brother brother- ther of the C C. C O 0 Baxter with whom Gilson had developed Gilsonite claims The railroad followed the route which Baxter bad had tentatively tent mapped out which The Barber shortly Asphalt before ir t bad Company fl flover taken over control of the Gilson Asphaltum Asphaltum As As- Company organized the Uintah Railway C Company a as a subsidiary corporation to to construct construct con con- the road The cost was One of the reasons reason for for this relatively small cost was was wis that the Uintah R Railway y bought from the Denver and Rio Grande the rails ralls ties and rolling stock of of- an abandoned lin line T l i A ALINE LINE CONNECTS O WITH RG The Uintah h Railway t Y met n t the e Denver and Rio Grande at atta atla a point 22 miles west of Grand Junction A town naturally developed de at this point It It was called Mack Mack for John M M. Mack president of of the B Barber Barber rb r Asphalt Company The railroad I from Mack proceeded to the e Gilsonite mining area in a general general gen gen gen- eral northerly direction In a distance of only miles It crossed 36 bridges over washes and creeks from Mack to Atchee at which point the steep climb over Baxter Pass began The road first rose more than 2000 feet in six miles and tl then en dro drop dropped ped pod down the other side 1500 feet in seven miles From there for twelve miles to the end end of of the line at the gilsonite mine at Dragon the road crossed 37 bridges The railroad which ended at Dragon in 1904 was later 1911 extended nine and andone one one half half miles to Watson and four miles southwest from the Watson terminal to the Gilsonite mine at Rainbow Construction and operation of ol the railroad across the Book Cliffs Mountains ins Involved many things besides the besides the problem of engineering a route and operating operating ing a twisting and turning railroad railroad rail rail- road up and down steep slopes was sand and sW js a a most precious precious commodity in inthis inthis th this grid arid r region gion To insure water an artificial lake was constructed construct construct- ed on the north side of Baxter Pass It was called Lake McAndrews' McAndrews Me- Me Andrews Andre in honor onor of the super superintendent super super- of the Gilson Asphaltum tum Company who was also the original superintendent of the Uintah Railway Water from this lake served not only the needs of the railroad but also supplied Dragon and other points along the route BEST TRANSPORTATION The new railroad was far superior to any other means of transportation in and out of the Uintah Basin and quickly attracted at at- traded substantial passenger as aswell aswell aswell well as freight traffic The railroad railroad rail rail- road constructed hotels at each end of the line to accommodate passengers room passengers 20 room modern modem establishments complete with bath and dining facilities Inasmuch as the end of the railroad at Dragon was some 60 miles from the centers of Uintah Basin population at Vernal Vernal Ver Ver- nal and Fort Duchesne connecting connecting con can wagon roads were built to carry freight and passengers from the railroad to these de destinations de- de Tolls colleted at several points on these roads However the roads from Jensen to Vernal and from Ouray north at Fort Duchesne were toll toll free When the toll toil roads were completed completed com com- in 1905 the government awarded the mail contract to the company company- This proved such an advantageous means of shipment shipment ship ship- ment of supplies for Basin residents residents re reo that even the bricks with which the Bank of Vernal was built were shipped over the rail and toll road system by parcel post STAGECOACH TO VERNAL Regular stagecoach service was established from Dragon to Vernal and to Fort Duchesne The stage with stops en route for meals and to change horses took some ten hours to make each run run of about 70 miles This may well veil have been one of the very last stagecoach systems to be operated in this country Freight hauling while less spectacular than the stagecoach operation involved many more animals wagons and employees The toll charge for a four horse four horse team snaking making the round trip was about An idea of ol hauling costs can be obtained from flom the 4 a ton plus toll charge cost to the company of hauling Gilsonite from its Bonanza Bonanza Bon Bon- anza workings some 20 miles to the Dragon railhead The charge for hauling the mineral minerai the 53 miles to Mark over the railroad railroad rail rail- road was 10 a ton Continued on page |