Get documents about "The Union Pacific Railroad
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Contents
This month’s theme: Feature 1 Fun page 5
Trains From the attic 3 Next month 6
More in the attic 4
Dec/Jan, 2009
From the
Prospector
Howdy Prospectors!
The Union Pacific
I
hope everyone had a great
holiday. The mule and I just
Railroad got back from vacation. We
wanted to go south for a bit and
warm our old bones. The
B
efore there were trains, in a week rather than months.
planes, and automobiles, Today, trains have become less problem is, my mule doesn’t fit in
people relied on horses important than they were in the an airplane seat. In fact, every
and boats for transportation. 1800’s, but they are still useful. time we got to the airport it’s
Travel was much slower in those Many of you may have grown up hard to even get the critter past
days and most people didn’t go near a railroad and never even given the security checkpoint. So do
much farther than their own it a second thought. Did you know you know what we did? We
hometown. When railroads that trains played an important role traveled the old fashioned way,
began to be built in North in Idaho? This is the story of one by train. I sat up in the passenger
America in the mid-1800’s, railroad, the Union Pacific, and its car and my mule hung out in a
things began to change. People impact on our state. cargo car designed to carry
could travel more easily beyond In 1848, gold was discovered in animals.
their towns, and somebody in California and many people began Have you ever traveled by
Virginia could eat a fresh peach moving out west. Trade and travel train? Nowadays most people
from Georgia in just a matter of became very important, and people travel by airplane or car, but
days. Eventually, when cross- began dreaming of a railroad to there was a time in the recent
country tracks were built, people connect the two parts of the coun- past that almost all long distance
could travel from coast to coast try. The plan was that two railroad travel was by train. That’s what
this issue is about. Enjoy the
Continued on next page story of the railroad in Idaho.
Union Pacific Continued
lines, the Central Pacific and the became home to a branch of the the Union Pacific’s shipping busi-
Union Pacific, would build towards Oregon Short Line. ness. Today, railroad hubs are still
each other and eventually connect. The railroad also continued to active in places like Pocatello and
The Central Pacific Railroad build branches into Southern Idaho, Preston in southeastern Idaho. If
began in Sacramento, California in which provided many railroad jobs you enjoy skiing, then you may also
1862 and built eastward, and the and increased the population. South be interested to know that in 1936,
Union Pacific Railroad the Union Pacific
began in Chicago, Illinois in Railroad created Sun
1863 and built westward. Valley, a world-famous
Both railroads built rapidly ski resort in central
toward each other, and on Idaho in an attempt to
May 10, 1869, the tracks increase business.
were joined together with a Idaho’s “famous
golden spike at Promontory potatoes” couldn’t have
Point in Utah. become famous if it
Before too long, the weren’t for the Union
Union Pacific began to have Pacific in Idaho. This
money problems, and so for railroad transformed
the next ten years it halted shipping and provided
the creation of new rail lines. many jobs in the cities it
After the railroad was able stopped in. This
to get back on its feet, it allowed populations to
began to build into Oregon grow and cities to
and Idaho, where it would flourish. In many towns
begin shipping those states’ in Idaho, you can still
natural resources to other see the yellow and red
parts of the country. In locomotives of the
1881, the Union Pacific built Union Pacific chugging
a line called the Oregon by. Perhaps someone
Short Line that began in you know even helped
Granger, Wyoming, and to lay these tracks. The
followed the Snake River next time you come to a
into Idaho. train crossing, stop and
Idaho Territory had a think about how the
very small population at that Union Pacific helped
time. The railroad offered a Idaho grow and al-
quicker way to travel to the lowed people to settle
area and people began using in this wonderful state.
trains to settle in Idaho,
which would soon became a by Gracie Bingham
state in 1890. Northern
Idaho, which had rich mining
resources, was able to begin ship- Idaho now has one of the larger
ping out their minerals, and this populations in the state. This region
helped business. The Boise Depot, a is known for its agriculture and
well-known landmark in Boise, livestock, which helped contribute to
2
From the Attic
Train Crashes
T
rain travel in the late 1800’s brakes realized that they weren’t Down in the station was a
could occasionally be working properly. If the train second train full of passengers on
dangerous. Flooded rivers couldn’t slow down, it couldn’t the same track. When the engineer
could wash away wooden bridges. switch over to a second safe track of the passenger train saw the freight
Snow or rockslide could block that ran harmlessly beside the train coming, he jumped into action
tracks. Giant steam engines could station. The engineer tried to get the and tried to back his train out of the
malfunction and pose dangers for men to use emergency hand brakes, way. But the freight train was
the engineers and passengers. but it was already too late. The train moving too fast. The two trains
There are many tales of train wrecks had missed the safe track and had collided in a spectacular explosion
in Idaho, but one of the scariest started down the hill. Normally the of metal and wood. Both engines
happened early in the morning of hand brakes could stop a big train. were destroyed and nine people
May 27th, 1897 at American Falls. Unfortunately, this one was carrying died in the crash.
The American Falls station was a load of heavy logs. The great Fortunately, a message was
in a small valley between two hills. weight of the train and the steep hill quickly sent to Pocatello and
On that morning, a freight train was made the hand brakes useless. The another train full of doctors and
approaching the top of the hill ready train was out of control and headed medical supplies arrived later to help
to descend to the station. Suddenly, towards the station at sixty miles per the wounded. It took months,
the man in charge of the train’s hour. though to rebuild the station and
repair the track.
A train crash near Montpelier
3
More From the Attic
Pullman Cars
E
arly railroad travel could be change from the typical railway car. more elaborate. Sleepers had
a very uncomfortable experi- Pullman installed wide, cushioned comfortable beds. Dining cars had
ence. Seats were hard seats, intricate woodwork, and even elaborate table-settings and food to
wood and passengers felt every artwork on his train cars. As his match the fanciest restaurants.
bump and sway of the train. Long business took off cars became even Service was provided by porters,
trips were even waiters, and
worse. Only a few maids who
trains had sleeping waited on the
accommodations passengers
and even those every need.
were only wooden Staying in a
shelves stuck one Pullman car was
atop another. In the like riding in a
mid-1800’s an hotel on wheels.
inventor and Pullman
businessman named made a fortune
George Pullman, and train travel
realized that pas- was changed
sengers were fed forever. By the
up with current early 1900’s
conditions and most cross-
would be willing to country railroad
pay for more passenger trains
comfortable travel. offered passen-
The Pullman train gers the choice
car was born. of luxury
Pullman cars accommoda-
were a shocking tions.
A fancy placesetting from a Union Pacific dinning car
4
The Fun Page
Help the conductor find these hidden words
Agriculture Pocatello Shipping
Boise Depot Population Sun Valley
California Potatoes Union Pacific
Idaho Promontory Point Wyoming
Mining Railroad
Oregon Short Line
Solution on Page 7
5
Next Month’s Activities
W
ell, we’ve told you all we Idaho Railroads: Union Pacific was Eyewitness at the Crash: Train
know about Idaho rail- the main railroad in southern Idaho, travel in the late 1800’s could some-
roads; now it’s your turn. but there were many other companies times be dangerous. Faulty equip-
This month you can pick from one of throughout the state. Depending on ment or natural hazards like landslides
the activities listed below or make up where you live you might also have or floods could cause trains to derail
your own railroad project and send it
and crash. Imagine what it would
to our Prospector Headquarters.
be like to witness one of these
We’ll take some of your best
train wrecks. Pretend you live in
work and print it in next month’s
the late 1800’s and experience a
magazine. Remember to include
terrifying rail crash. Maybe you
your name, the town and school
are a farmer or rancher who
where you are from, and the name
watched the engine derail from a
of your Prospector Club. We
nearby field. Maybe you are a
can’t wait to see what you come
conductor or engineer on the train
up with!
itself. Give us your eyewitness
account of what you saw and
The Perfect Ride: In the late
heard during and after the crash.
1800’s The Pullman Company
We await the exciting story.
made luxury train cars for railroad
passengers. The cars featured soft
cushions, beds, and even art
work. Riding in a Pullman car was
Send in your work by March 11th
like riding in a hotel on wheels.
to:
The Pullman cars of 100 years ago heard of The Northern Pacific, The Prospector Club/Lucky Noah
are long gone, but now it’s time to Salmon River Railroad Company, or Idaho State Historical Museum
build on their memory. Can you the Minidoka and Southwestern 610 North Julia Davis Drive
create a luxury train car for our Railroad. Do a little research and tell Boise, ID 83702
modern times? Draw us the perfect us about the railroad near your home Or email it to us at
train car for traveling across the town. Give us a short report and, if Kurt.zwolfer@ishs.idaho.gov
country. Does it have a hot tub? A you have time, snap a few pictures of
restaurant? Room for your pet your local railway line.
poodle? We can’t wait to see what
you come up with.
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Solution
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