| OCR Text |
Show OMB No. 1024·0016, NP S Fonn United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section No. §. Page ~ Wells Historic District, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UT Mormon-owned lines covered three-fourths of the Utah Territory. 18 The railroads, in addition to servicing passengers and freight into and out of the Salt Lake Valley, began running lines directly to the mining communities located around the perimeter of the valley. By 1898, the Utah Central Railroad extended south into the Salt Lake Valley, passing to the east of the Wells area. Mining also significantly contributed to the growth of Salt Lake City, and "suburbs" of the city, such as Sandy, Bingham Canyon, and Alta prospered from the mines. Sandy became a hub with its proximity to Alta's silver mine and its service from the Utah Southern Railroad. Most of the mining operations were owned and operated by non-Mormons. The LDS Church did not support the mining industry because of what it considered to be inevitable social problems that accompanied it, problems such as prostitution, gambling, and alcohol consumption. However, over time the economic benefits of the mines began to wear away at this opposition. The Jordan Silver Mining Company was one of the few Mormon ventures into the industry. Mining was so prevalent along the Wasatch Front that one visitor to Salt Lake City in 1880 described the area along Main Street as, "one large mining camp". 19 By 1880, the core of the Salt Lake City business district extended south along Main Street and one block on either side to about 200 South. By 1890 it stretched to 300 South, and by the early 20th century to 400 South.2° Yet, while downtown Salt Lake City was booming and construction was occurring at a rapid pace, the Wells area remained primarily agricultural in nature; expansion of the developed portion of Salt Lake City was occurring to the east and west but far less so to the south (e.g., north of 900 South), at least until the end of the period. The California gold rush of the late 1800s and the arrival of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 led to the transformation of Salt Lake City from an isolated, agrarian religious utopia to a crossroads for travelers heading west and a major center for the movement of goods and people throughout the region. The development of the western rail system spread from the major north-south and east-west freight lines of the large railroad companies to smaller, interurban railways focused on transporting passengers and small amounts of cargo within and between Utah's rapidly growing Wasatch Front communities. In 1872, the first interurban (street/trolley car) company, the Salt Lake City Railroad (SLCRR) was organized by two of Brigham Young's sons and several other businessmen from the area. 21 Standard gauge rail was laid over a few miles of the earthen streets in Salt Lake City, and mule- and horse-drawn cars transported passengers through the downtown area. Within a few years, several other short branches of the streetcar system had been constructed in the city. In 1889, SLCRR crews began erectin~ an overhead electrical catenary for what was to become the first electric trolley system in Salt Lake City. 22 •2 The trolley was an immediate success. The cars provided not only a faster 18 Ibid. Ibid. 20 McCormick, 2000. 21 Carr, Stephen L. and Robert W. Edwards. Utah Ghost Rails. Salt Lake City, UT: Western Epics. 1988. 22 Ibid. 23 Electricity for the line was generated by a power plant located on 200 East between South Temple Street and 100 South (Ibid). 19 |
