UPRR MECHANICAL DRAWINGS – UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD HISTORY REVEALED

I recently visited the ghost town of Piedmont on the way home from the 2014 UNION PACIFIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY convention, held in Ogden, Utah. A fellow member of the Society had told me Piedmont was worth a visit on the way home. He was right. The road to Piedmont, from either east or west, lies on the original 1869 roadbed of the UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD. This side trip gives the traveller a sense of the isolation that was the lot of the builders of the railroad. Piedmont lies between Green River and Evanston in the state of Wyoming. The images above were obtained during the side trip.

The original main line was re-located to its present route around 1900, as part of the Harriman Era improvements. The town of Piedmont slowly became the ghost town of today. A small marker reveals the school was closed in 1950.

I recently learned Piedmont is the place where construction workers “kidnapped” Dr. Durant, etal;,in 1869 and held them until back pay was paid..The workers held all the trump cards because Dr. Durant’s train was taking the UPRR “dignitaries” to Promontory Summit to witness the “Golden Spike” ceremony.Strange how a little knowledge of local history materially improves the quality of a visitors visit to seemingly barren places.

I have included a link to the travel guide shown in the image below. It tells the story of Piedmont and other places that lie along the first Pacific Railway. I must warn you that reading this type of book can become very addictive and will cause harm to other plans you may have.