EXHIBITS
The Utah-Idaho Central Railroad: Northern Utah’s Interurban Experience: Downfall of the Interurban - Impacts of the Great Depression and World War II
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Downfall of the Interurban - Impacts of the Great Depression and World War II
A 1942 timetable pamphlet with schedules for the U.I.C. Note the difference between this and the earlier timetable as the bus service was becoming the standard method of transportation between cities during this time. This pamphlet also continues the advertising trend with statements regarding safety, efficiency, and speed of transportation.
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Utah-Idaho Central Railroad Company, Mendon Station Papers, 1916–1936 MSS 60, Box 22, Item 2)
The optimism and hope of the Roaring Twenties disappeared with the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. Businesses and people across the nation were affected by the crash of the stock market and the downturn of the economy. The U.I.C. was not spared from these effects, and it would never recover from the Depression. The railroad operated at a loss from 1929 throughout the 30s and had little hope for improvement. In 1939 the company experienced receivership[1] once more, with only a loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (established by the federal government as part of the New Deal) keeping it afloat.[2] With the outbreak of World War II, U.I.C. leadership would have likely expected profits to return as the nation mobilized for war and the need for transportation services increased dramatically. However, Sorensen writes that some limitations prevented the U.I.C. from gaining any expected revenue.[3] Thus, the U.I.C. was forced to rely on less profitable freight such as coal and sugar beets as the main source of income; both were unreliable, especially with the start of coal strikes in the early 40s.[4] Ambrious Larsen gave his opinion of the fall of the U.I.C.: “I don't think they [northern Utah] had the business for the two trains. I think one company could handle all the freight, and I think it was just a matter of one having to go out, and UIC was the one that went out.”[5]
A U.I.C. train stopped at the Logan Station on South Main Street. Note the number of automobiles parked and driving on the street, one of the factors bringing an end to the U.I.C.
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2957a)
In addition to competition from outside railroad companies, a decline in the number of paying passengers also contributed greatly to the decline of the U.I.C. This situation resulted from a combination of a small population base within the region of operation and the increase in the use of automobiles and buses.[6] The improvement and greater use of automobiles led to the improvement of roads, especially the U.S. Highway 89 between Brigham City and Wellsville. Lawrence Cantwell discussed the implications that the road through this canyon had on the U.I.C. “But Sardine was a much closer road—It was rather steep in places. They had to make dug ways through it, and with better power and equipment, steam shovels and so forth, the road was improved so that automobiles could make the trip down into Brigham much faster.”[7] The U.I.C. Railroad was no longer the most efficient or reliable means of transportation between Preston and Ogden and could not survive without the support of the communities it serviced.
S. J. Quinney, the appointed receiver for the Utah-Idaho Central Railroad, announces the auctioning of U.I.C. property throughout the counties in which it had operated. Also attached is a form for advanced bidding to expedite the auction procedures.
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Items 9 & 10)
August 1947 letter from S. J. Quinney, the appointed receiver of the U.I.C., to Bullen regarding the Cache Valley portion of the auction of U.I.C. property and the procedures for the auction
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Item 11)
As president of the Cache Valley Banking Company, Champ played a role in the auctioning of U.I.C. property within Cache County. In this letter from August 1947, Champ asks for a plat map of a piece of U.I.C. property for a customer to prepare for bidding.
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Frederick P. Champ Papers, 1930–1976 MSS 50, Box 338, Folder 2, Item 32)
Having lost its role as a transportation service for both freight and passengers, the railroad could no longer maintain its lines, fund its employees, or pay taxes and interest on the loans it had needed during the Great Depression. “On December 20, 1946, UIC asked the Interstate Commerce Commission for authority to abandon its entire line.” At the time of this application, the company was only able to operate one train on the entire route, without maintenance or upkeep.[8] The application was granted and plans were made for the selling of all U.I.C. equipment, real estate, and other property. On March 18, 1947, a final train car made a ceremonial trip from Ogden to Preston and back, stopping at every station and filling the air with its whistle for the last time.[9] The possessions and property of the railroad were then auctioned off starting in August of 1947.[10] The tracks, ties, and electric wire were scrapped or used in other railroads, stations and right-of-ways were purchased by property owners or businesses, and an external bus company took over operation of the bus services.[11] All that remained of the train after forty-seven years of service were traces of railroad grades, memories, some high-quality railroad stations, and the collection of company records and documents that survived.
Selected Images of the U.I.C. During the 1930s & 1940s
A U.I.C. freight and passenger train stopped at the Logan Station
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2958b)
A motorman and conductor pose with their U.I.C. engine while stopped at the Logan wye stop
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2959b)
A U.I.C. engine and car stopped at the Logan wye stop at 153 S. Main Street
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2957b)
U.I.C. engine #500 at Logan, Utah, as passengers board and freight is loaded
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(Digital Public Library of America, Denver Public Library, http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/77033)
U.I.C. engine #500 in Ogden, Utah
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(University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, Special Collections, Multimedia Archives, Utah Railroads Photograph Collection P0820, image 67, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=942887&q=P0820+Utah+Railroads+Photograph+Collection)
U.I.C. engine #500 near Ogden, Utah
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(University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, Special Collections, Multimedia Archives, Utah Railroads Photograph Collection P0820, image 66, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=942886&q=P0820+Utah+Railroads+Photograph+Collection)
U.I.C. engines #500 and #503 at the Preston Station train yard
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(Digital Public Library of America, Denver Public Library, http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/77036)
Passengers board the U.I.C. #502 engine and passenger car in Preston, Idaho
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(University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, Special Collections, Multimedia Archives, Utah Railroads Photograph Collection P0820, image 63, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=942883&page=2&q=P0820+Utah+Railroads+Photograph+Collection)
U.I.C. #504 passenger car near Logan, Utah
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(University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, Special Collections, Multimedia Archives, Utah Railroads Photograph Collection P0820, image 62, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=942882&q=P0820+Utah+Railroads+Photograph+Collection)
Two U.I.C. engines stopped at the Logan wye stop
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2958a)
U.I.C. engine #510 hauling a freight car in northern Utah
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(University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, Special Collections, Multimedia Archives, Utah Railroads Photograph Collection P0820, image 71, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=942891&q=P0820+Utah+Railroads+Photograph+Collection)
U.I.C. #513 engine near Wellsville, Utah
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(University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, Special Collections, Multimedia Archives, Utah Railroads Photograph Collection P0820, image 61, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=942881&q=P0820+Utah+Railroads+Photograph+Collection)
Passengers board the U.I.C. #513 engine and passenger car in Smithfield, Utah
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(University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, Special Collections, Multimedia Archives, Utah Railroads Photograph Collection P0820, image 64, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=942884&q=P0820+Utah+Railroads+Photograph+Collection)
U.I.C. engine #513 and passenger car loading/unloading freight in Logan, Utah
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(University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, Special Collections, Multimedia Archives, Utah Railroads Photograph Collection P0820, image 68, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=942888&page=3&q=P0820+Utah+Railroads+Photograph+Collection)
U.I.C. engine #514 and passenger car at the U.I.C. station in Preston, Idaho
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(Digital Public Library of America, Denver Public Library, http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/77035)
A U.I.C. snowplow engine and car stopped at the Logan wye stop. Snowplow engines were vital for operation during the winter months. Several oral history accounts recall that the U.I.C. always arrived on schedule, no matter the weather conditions.
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, A-Board Historical Photograph Collection photo no. A2959a)
Efforts to Save the Railroad
Correspondence between Herschel Bullen, the director of the Logan Chamber of Commerce at the time, and attorneys, Union Pacific Representatives, and others demonstrates the reluctance of local leadership in allowing the U.I.C. to abandon its lines and services. Bullen recognized the impact that abandoning the U.I.C. would have on local industry and agricultural interests, and he sought for a way to keep the U.I.C. in operation or to replace it with a similar service for the good of the Cache Valley economy. Some examples of his correspondence can be viewed here. Despite his best efforts, the U.I.C. could not recover and maintain their equipment.
A notice from January 1947 regarding a special meeting concerning all businesses that will be affected by the abandonment of the U.I.C. and its lines of operation. Attached is a list of all identified businesses and the communities in which they are located.
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Items 1 & 15)
January 1947 letter from Attorney Geo. Preston to Moyle & Moyle Attorneys at Law in Salt Lake City regarding options for the continued operation of the U.I.C. lines
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Items 2 & 3)
February 1947 letter from Attorney Geo. Preston to Bullen regarding a hearing involving the U.I.C.’s bankruptcy petition
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Item 4)
May 1947 letter from the Union Pacific to Bullen about the unlikelihood of U.P. purchasing the abandoned U.I.C. lines
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Item 7)
June 1947 letter from the Interstate Commerce Commission to Bullen regarding the bankruptcy petition of the U.I.C. and the Union Pacific’s role following its abandonment
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Item 8)
September 1947 letter from Bullen to the Union Pacific regarding the economic stability of Cache Valley and the opportunities it would provide for U.P. Railroad services
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Item 12)
The Union Pacific’s response, a few days later, to Bullen’s September letter regarding the U.I.C. lines in Cache Valley
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Item 13)
Bullen’s response, two days later, to the Union Pacific’s statement that they will likely not purchase the U.I.C. lines
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen Jr. Papers, 1883–1966 MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Item 14)
Frederick Champ, as a prominent banker and board member with extensive financial experience, assisted the United States Chamber of Commerce in renewing chamber memberships for many companies in Utah. This correspondence below between Champ, representatives of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and corporate leaders within Utah demonstrates the failing financial situation of the U.I.C. towards the mid to late 40s. The letter from Donald Marcellus to R. E. Titus indicates the benefits of renewing chamber memberships in the recovering economy.
Donald Marcellus to Frederick Champ regarding the U.I.C.’s chamber membership, May 26, 1944
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Frederick P. Champ Papers, 1930–1976 MSS 50, Box 307, Folder 9, Item 2)
Frederick Champ to George Eccles concerning chamber memberships, June 3, 1944
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Frederick P. Champ Papers, 1930–1976 MSS 50, Box 107, Folder 6, Item 8)
Champ to Marcellus summarizing the U.I.C.’s financial struggles, June 1, 1944
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Frederick P. Champ Papers, 1930–1976 MSS 50, Box 307, Folder 9, Item 3)
Marcellus to R. E. Titus outlining U.S. chamber membership benefits, June 7, 1944
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(Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Frederick P. Champ Papers, 1930–1976 MSS 50, Box 307, Folder 9, Item 5)
