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Show United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Weber River Railroad Bridge Weber County, Utah Name of Property County and State Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any applicable criteria considerations.) The Weber River Railroad Bridge, built in 1897, and located in Ogden, Utah, is significant statewide under Criteria A and C. Under Criterion A, the bridge is significant in the area of Transportation. It is the only known Pegram truss span in use in its original location in the United States and is the oldest known railroad bridge in Utah in its original location. Although Ogden is steeped in railroad history, its railroad related resources have increasingly diminished, further adding to the bridge's importance. The bridge represents an outgrowth of the railroad's boom era of growth and expansion in Ogden during the late nineteenth century. Under Criterion C, the bridge is significant in the area of Engineering. It provides a glimpse into the region's solution to the challenge of bridge design and construction during a time of great transportation and industrial development, and is located on the first railroad line (as directed by Brigham Young) in Utah after the Transcontinental Railroad was completed. The bridge is a good example of George H. Pegram's truss design, being the only Pegram truss type in Utah. It remains unaltered, in its original location, and has continually carried train traffic across the Weber River since it was constructed. The bridge retains remarkable integrity and serves as a notable reflection of Pegram's overall engineering skills and is a historic legacy of the man who had a wide-reaching impact on the area-Pegram spent much time in Ogden as the chief engineer for the Union Pacific and as a consultant for the Ogden Pioneer Electric Power Company. ______________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.) Historical Significance: Transportation The railroad has had a significant impact on the community of Ogden throughout its history. In 1869, just 18 years after the city's incorporation, the railroad made its way to the city. Ogden was locally known as the Junction City because of its location near where the transcontinental railroad joined in Promontory, and because of its position connecting major north-south and eastwest railroad routes. Shortly after the joining of the railroads in 1869, the first rail in Utah Territory not connected to the Transcontinental rail line was laid by the Utah Central Railroad. The original main line route of the track corridor laid by the Utah Central Railroad includes the location of the Weber River Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge. This railroad crossing of the Weber River was originally a simple wooden bridge in 1869, replaced by an iron truss span in 1876, and later replaced by this bridge. Under the direction of Brigham Young, that original main line connected Ogden with Salt Lake City; it later became a secondary line and became known as the Evona Branch, providing a spur to the industrial sector west of Ogden City. In 1878, the Union Pacific Railroad took ownership of the Utah Central Railroad, and in 1881 it merged with the Utah Southern Railroad and the Utah Southern Railroad Extension to create the Utah Central 9 |
