Newspaper Items
Salt Lake & Eastern Railway
This page was last updated on March 21, 2004
22 May 1883
Articles of Incorporation filed yesterday for a "Salt Lake & Eastern
Railroad Company," to build a three-foot gauge line to Park City; the
president is W. S. Godbe, and some of the others named were Simon Bamberger,
George Goss, Henry Wagener. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 22 May 1883)
21 September 1888
The Salt Lake & Eastern organized "yesterday." (Pitchard, Salt Lake Herald, 22 September
1888)
22 September 1888
The Salt Lake & Eastern Railway Company was organized yesterday, its
initial objective being Park City via Parley's Canyon. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Herald, 22 September 1888)
23 September 1888
Articles of incorporation filed yesterday for the Salt Lake & Eastern
Railroad Company; to be 1200 shares of stock, par $100 each, John W. Young has
592 of them, eight others to the various other directors, and the balance of
600 held in the company for now. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 23 September 1888)
29 September 1888
A long article on the Salt Lake & Eastern incorporation, and that road's
plans; mostly useless, but does say that some five miles of track are laid east
from Sugar House, and that the road has three locomotives and 25 cars. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 29 September 1888)
20 October 1888
"The Salt Lake & Eastern is making rapid headway up Parley's Canyon.
All the money necessary to complete the road to Park City [is] available. The
old Utah Eastern grade is being used in places, much to the detriment of the
wagon road, and it is likely that the Salt Lake county officials will get out
an injunction to prevent the railroad company destroying the wagon road." (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 20 October 1888)
27 October 1888
Grading in canyon done to a point known as Hardy's; track expected to reach
shale beds, about four miles below Hardy's, on Monday. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 27 October 1888)
3 November 1888
More than a column on the Salt Lake & Eastern, etc., which is mostly the
usual puffery. It is noted that the "old sugar house" is being
converted into shops for the S. L. & F. D. and S. L. & E. The railroad
passes within a few rods of the southwest corner of the penitentiary wall,
passes Dudler's Brewery, and enters the mouth of Parley's canyon. The item
notes that track is laid down to a point about four miles past the brewery, and
is being laid at a rate of about three-fourths of a mile per day at present.
The S. L. & F. D. depot addition, downtown, is nearing completion. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Herald, 3 November 1888)
3 November 1888
Track is now laid some 3-1/2 miles up into Parley's Canyon, and an excursion
was run up that far yesterday. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 3 November 1888)
3 November 1888
"It is now given out that the Salt Lake & Eastern will build a switchback
on each side of the summit, thus being able to reach Park City by next spring
without doing any tunneling." (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 3 November 1888)
24 November 1888
Item on SL&E grading, now going forward; "The big fill at the mouth of
Lamb's Canyon, above the Half-way House, will take much time yet to finish,
however." (Pitchard, Park Record,
Park City, 24 November 1888)
29 November 1888
Grading on the Salt Lake & Eastern has been completed to Lamb's Canyon. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 29 November 1888)
12 December 1888
"Local Railway Notes." Salt Lake & Eastern track has reached a
point known as Hardy's in Parley's Canyon. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 12 December 1888)
15 December 1888
"The Salt Lake and Eastern has received a three-cylinder cogwheel
locomotive, like the Crescent, to be used on the heavy grades over the
Summit." (Pitchard, Park Record,
Park City, 15 December 1888)
29 December 1888
Tracklaying has been suspended on account of the weather; ended just below Hardy's.
(Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 29 December 1888)
16 March 1889
"The Salt Lake & Eastern train running up to the terminus in Parley's
Canyon has been discontinued. As soon as the roads get in better condition the
railway will resume making connections with the stages at the shale beds. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 16 March
1889)
2 May 1889
John W. Young says he is shipping from the east three locomotives and 30 cars
of rail for the Salt Lake & Eastern. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 2 May 1889)
22 June 1889
John W. Young went over the line to Park City last Thursday; he says trains
will be running to Park by 1 September 1889. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 22 June 1889)
11 July 1889
J. W. Young says the Parley's Canyon line being laid with 40 pound steel. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 11 July
1889)
13 August 1889
John W. Young says he has purchased two consolidations and one switch engine,
all Baldwin's; two passenger engines, Porter's; two Shay locomotives of 30 tons
each; 11 passenger cars and 114 coal cars. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 13 August 1889)
7 September 1889
The Salt Lake & Eastern runs now to Half Way House, in the canyon; railroad
agents were in Park City recently, looking about for depot lands, etc. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 7 September 1889)
14 September 1889
"The Salt Lake and Eastern is building a switch-back over Lamb's Canyon,
in Parley's, instead of making an earth fill or trestlework. This arrangement
will be but temporary or until the proposed tunnel through the summit is
driven, probably next summer. It will take about three weeks yet for the rails
to reach the summit, and then the road will be hurried on to Park City." (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 14 September 1889)
28 September 1889
"Passenger travel between Park City and Salt Lake via the stage line and
the S. L. & E. Ry. is very brisk." "Daniel Harrington, secretary
of the S. L. & E. Ry., was up from Zion Thursday to arrange for
rights-of-way into town."
Circular issued appointing J. H. Young Traffic Manager for the three J. W. Young lines. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 28 September 1889)
3 December 1889
An item notes that rail has been laid to a point within four miles of Park
City, on the Salt Lake & Eastern railroad. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Herald, 3 December 1889)
26 December 1889
On Monday, the 23rd, an engine on the S. L. & E. derailed and turned over,
the cause being the spreading of the rails. No injuries, except to the engine. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Herald, 26 December
1889)
28 December 1889
"Last Monday evening an engine was thrown from the Salt Lake & Eastern
track because of the rails spreading, but fortunately none of the trainmen were
hurt." "Trains over the Salt Lake short line have been practically
abandoned on account of the snow blockades. Until the weather clears up the
remaining miles into Park City cannot be finished." "Last Monday
evening" was December 23, 1889. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 28 December 1889)
11 January 1890
The Salt Lake & Eastern remains snowed in -- the stage company is running
sleighs. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park
City, 11 January 1890)
25 January 1890
"There are four cars of rails for completing the Salt Lake & Eastern
railway from Snyderville to Park City now stored away on the E.& P.C. switches
near the sampler." (Pitchard, Park
Record, Park City, 25 January 1890)
1 February 1890
SL&E still snowed in, but shovel crews have begun to dig the road out.
Stockholders are to meet 6 March 1890, to consider the idea of merging the
three lines into the Utah Central Railroad. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 1 February 1890)
8 February 1890
"The gang of snow shovelers on the Salt Lake and Eastern road have got the
road cleared to a point between the summit and Kimball's. The running of trains
will be resumed soon and it will require but a little while to complete the
track from Snyderville into town provided that the weather does not get rough
again. The company's new engines and rolling stock have arrived in Zion." (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 8 February 1890)
15 February 1890
Item in "Railway Rumbles" -- "The three new 45 ton consolidated
engines [for SL&E] are model locomotives, and the new passenger coaches are
said to be unsurpassed for elegance." (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 15 February 1890)
5 March 1890
The Salt Lake & Eastern has 'three new 45-ton locomotives' (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 5 March
1890)
15 March 1890
The SL&E is nearly done to Park City. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 15 March 1890)
22 March 1890
Park City line referred to as "SL&E branch of the Utah Central
system." (Pitchard, Park Record,
Park City, 22 March 1890)
28 March 1890
"Lincoln Park" was a real estate promotion by C.E. Wantland (a
curious name for a developer!), 201 Main St., S.L.C. It was located below what
was then 10th South, now 13th South, and between 7th East and 11th East. While
the Salt Lake & Eastern track ran through a part of the PROPOSED
'addition,' there is NO mention in this or any other paper I've seen of any
'Lincoln Park Junction,' now or later. The promotion seems to have been
short-lived, and is today unknown.
(Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 28 March 1890)
29 March 1890
Track of SL&E/UC is completed to a point three miles below Park City; can
be completed soon if the snow would stop. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 29 March 1890)
5 April 1890
"Railway Rumbles." "The New Narrow-Gauge Short Line Reaches Park
City." "The rails of the Salt Lake & Eastern, the narrow gauge
short line, have at last reached the lower part of town and the tooting of the
whistles can be plainly heard. By to-night the construction train will be able
to get up as far as the U. P. coal switch, just below the electric light
works." and so forth. Regular trains are expected . to commence on the 13th;
location of the depot is undecided." (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 5 April 1890)
