| Show THE SANPETE VALLEY RAILROADS John Olsen Ephraim Utah Senior Division First Place Essay One of the Coalbed did since Tearn very first coalmines 1873 called how to say in Utah Wales opened Utah shortly after 1854 The older Scandinavians for never Wales The veins of coal were small and the coal was slow in burning good at forge work Even the demand for coal was slow but was JohnstonArmy stopped at Camp Floyd in 1858 part south and camped near Ephraim for more than one year in developing until of this army came Maybe this had some bearing on the armydemands by relaying the availability of coal to Camp Floyd That and part those of at Camp the Johnston Floyd left Army Utah stationed in 1861 at Ephraim Thereafter departed the coal in found 1859 market in Salt Lake but the long haul by team and wagon wasdebiting good factor The Utah Central from Ogden reaching The to Salt Lake the latter Utah Railroad City city Southern the first Mormon built railroad extended It was January Railroad was 10 built in 1869 with the first train 1870 incorporated on January 17 1871 by another group of Mormons to construct and operateline of rgilroad from Salt Lake City to the southern part of the territory of Utah Ground was broken on May 1871 and on October 25 1873 the first train reached Provo The track was continued and the train reached Juab west of Nephi June SANPETE VALLEY RAILROAD 13 1879 COMPANY In 1871 another group the purpose of constructing of Salt Lakers organizedrailroad company forrailroad from Nephi to Coalbed Wales with the transporation of coal as the main body of freight in the mid before the 70road been my opinion but was that 15 miles south This road was started was sold to an English syndicate along with the mine completed to PeteCanvon mine in 1873 It has always the chief stockholder was woman The first train to Wales was probably late in 1879 or 1880 Thus Wales became the southern terminal of the railroad in Sanpete for the distribution of mail and freight It held this honor until 1884 With the building of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad through the Carbon County coalfields and into Salt Lake City and Ogden in 1883 the coalmine at Wales was discontinued and the rails taken up from Fountain Tyistory of Utah Since Statehood 353 |
