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Brigham City Depot

Photos by Jolly Goodfellow.

The Brigham City Depot was built in 1906 by the Oregon Short Line, the Golden
Spike Association is now the caretaker of the Depot.

The Union Pacific donated this CA13 Caboose #24516 to the GSA.

Brigham City Depot Story by Lori Hunsaker.

The first sight of the old Brigham City Railroad Depot evokes a feeling of nostalgia,
for the simplicity & innocence of days gone by. Chief proponent & `spark plug' for
the depot, Delone Glover said, "I still get excited every morning, coming down Forest
Street & seeing the depot. It's like coming into a magic castle. That was such a
romantic era. "Built in 1906, the depot is not only picturesque but built to last.
Renovations started two years ago but there have been no architectural or structural
changes made. Yet it is so solid that when the Amtrak train goes by at 60 miles per
hour, twice daily, there isn't so much as a quiver in the building.

All the work done at the depot has been by volunteers & many of the materials have been
donated. Workers have repaired & upgraded plumbing & electrical wiring, stripped up to
eight coats of paint on some surfaces, & applied new coats of paint or wood finishes.

The charm of the building which sat empty for more than 20 years, is being recaptured as
the refurbishing continues. The ticket office welcomes visitors as they enter the
building through the big double doors. The ticket office has it's original molding &
details. Visible through the windows is the telegrapher's desk.

On the north side of the ticket office is the ladies' waiting room. High ceilings, tall
windows, two rows of seats back to back & wainscoting well above eye level show the
original grace of the room. In days gone by no smoking, cussing or spitting were
permitted in the ladies waiting room. Those vulgar activities were relegated to the
men's waiting room, located south of the ticket office.

A freight room was added later. It was used by Railway Express Agency which offered
freight services in the depot. Packages & freight of all types & sizes could be
shipped. The original scales are in place, with weights & balances that could
weigh shipments up to several tons in weight.

The Knudson Fruit & Produce Warehouse is located south & east of the depot. Local
fruit & produce - peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes & trout from the Mantua
Hatchery were shipped throughout the country. During World War II, when there were 14
employees at the depot & as many as 18 passenger trains a day, servicemen passed
through the depot, some on their way to their stationed areas & others to Bushnell
Military Hospital by way of a railroad spur from the depot directly to the hospital.

Souvenirs are available for sale Thursday through Saturday. Although the building is
not always open for visitors, there are usually volunteers there every day.

There is still a great deal of renovation to be done but it can only be completed as money
becomes available. The building was deeded over to Box Elder County by Union Pacific
Railroad in January of 1994, following two years of negotiations with Union Pacific, Box
Elder County & the Golden Spike Association. When the building was deeded over to the
county, the county commissioners didn't accept ownership of the depot but immediately
turned the deed option over to the Golden Spike Association.

Glover & the association have high hopes for the depot. "My dream is that someday, my
gandchildren will be able to buy a train ticket at the depot & ride the train out to
Promontory," she stated. That's a long way off & includes such obstacles as re-laying 26
miles of track on the old road bed between Brigham City & Promontory Summit, the site
of the driving of the gold spike in 1869. Other plans include acquisition & restoration
of the Corinne depot.

The Corinne depot was cut in half & moved to two different locations. The Golden Spike
Association has found the good half of the depot & is going to move it back to it's
original site. The association would also like to acquire the Knudson Fruit & Produce
Warehouse & make it part of the museum complex that they envision. Many would consider
the goals too ambitious & the obstacles too great, but the association members tackle
one obstacle at a time.

Historic Brigham City Depot 833 West Forest, Brigham City Utah, 84302

Open 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday.
Closed Sunday & Wednesday. Anytime by appointment, call 435.723.2989