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By John Witherbee, Union Pacific Public Relations, Omaha, Nebraska, February 2, 1977
The present Oregon Short Line Railroad Company was incorporated under the laws of Utah on the first day of February, A. D., 1897. It was incorporated primarily for the purpose of buying, maintaining, operating and further extending the property and franchises theretofore belonging to the Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern Railway Company.
The said Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern Railway Company was a consolidated company, and, as such, acquired, owned and operated all the properties previously owned by the following named companies:
1. The Utah Central Railway Company, which was a consolidated company including:
(a) The Utah Centra1 Railroad Company, which was incorporated under the laws of the territory of Utah on the 8th day of March 1869, for the purpose of constructing a railroad from Ogden, Utah to Salt Lake City, in said state. It constructed the said railroad and put the same in operation about the first day of January 1870. This road was incorporated by Brigham Young and associates.
(b) Substantially the same parties who had incorporated and constructed the Utah Central Railroad, incorporated the Utah Southern Rai1road Company on the 17th day of January 1871, to construct a railroad connecting with the Utah Central Railroad at Salt Lake City, and extending thence southerly to Payson City, in Utah County, Utah, a distance of about sixty-five miles. By subsequent amendments that company was organized to and did construct its road to Chicken Creek, Juab County, Utah, a distance of one hundred and two miles south of Salt Lake City. This company was also incorporated under the laws of the territory of Utah.
(c) Some of the same parties interested in the two corporations above named, with other persons, incorporated, under the laws of said Territory, on the 11th day of January, 1879, the Utah Southern Railroad Extension for the purpose of constructing and operating a railroad from a point of connection with the Utah Southern Railroad at Chicken Creek, in Juab County, to Frisco, in Beaver County, in said territory, a distance of one hundred thirty-seven miles.
After the completion of the last-named railroad to Frisco, by Articles of Association, the Utah Central Railway Company was organized, under the laws of the territory of Utah, providing for the consolidation of the capital stock, property and franchises of the said Utah Central Railroad Company, the Utah Southern Railroad Company and the Utah Southern Railroad Extension. Said articles of consolidation bear date the first day of July 1881 and it thereby became the owner of al1 the railroads of the said three companies, and extending from Ogden City, Utah, by way of Salt Lake City, to the town of Frisco, in Beaver County, Utah, a total length of about two hundred and seventy-five mi Jes.
2. -- The Utah Northern Railroad Company was incorporated under the laws of the territory of Utah in 1872 for the purpose of building a narrow gauge railroad from Ogden City, Utah, northerly, through Utah, Idaho and Montana to a point of connection with the Northern Pacific Railroad, and was granted a right of way through the public lands for that purpose by Act of Congress approved March 3rd, 1873, entitled "An Act granting the right of way through the public lands to the Utah Northern Railroad Company." (See 17 Stat. U.S. p. 612). Ry Act of Congress approved June 20, 1878, entitled "An Act creating the Utah & Northern Railway Company a corporation in the territories of Utah, Idaho and Montana, granting the right of way to said company through the public lands", the said company was created a corporation in the said three territories under the same conditions and limitations and with the same rights and privileges that it then had or enjoyed under its articles of incorporation. The right of way granted it by this Act varied for a part of the distance from the grant made to it by the earlier Act. This later law is contained in 20 U.S. Statutes page 241. Under this organization the road was constructed from Ogden, northerly by way of Collinston, in Box Elder County, Logan, in Cache County, to Franklin, Idaho, said last named town being situated two or three miles north of the Utah-Idaho boundary 1ine. The construction to said point was completed in the year 1874. Very 1ittle business developed and the road proved unsuccessful. The northern terminus remained at Franklin until the year 1878. The company was in default in the payment of interest on bonds that had been issued, and which were secured by mortgage on the property. The mortgage was foreclosed, and the property sold under decree of the United States District Court for the territory of Utah, and at said sale the property was bid in by S.H.H. Clark in the interest of the Union Pacific Railroad Company. Soon after said sale, work was vigorously renewed and the road extended northerly through Idaho and was completed to Silver Bow, Montana, and put in operation in the year 1881, and later, in the year 1882 or 1883, was extended to a connection with the Northern Pacific Railroad at Garrison, Montana. As originally constructed this line from Ogden to Garrison was a narrow or 3-foot gauge and was so operated unti1 1889 or 1890 when it was changed to the standard and present gauge.
3. -- The Oregon Short Line Railway Company, a corporation, was organized under the laws of the territory of Wyoming on or about the 14th day of April 1881, for the purpose of constructing a railroad from Granger, Wyoming, upon the 1ine of the Union Pacific Railway, in Sweetwater County, extending in a northwesterly direction through the territories of Wyoming and Idaho and into the State of Oregon by the town of Huntington, a distance of five hundred and forty-one miles. By an Act of Congress approved August 2nd, 1882 (22 U.S. Stats. 185) the said railway company was created a railway corporation in the territories of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, under the same conditions and 1imitations, with the same rights and privileges that it then had and enjoyed under its articles of incorporation within said territory of Wyoming. The said line of railroad was constructed by said company from Granger, Wyoming to Huntington, Oregon, and a branch line extending from Shoshone, Idaho, to Ketchum, in said territory, a distance of seventy miles or thereabouts. Said main and branch lines were completed in the year 1884.
4. -- The Ogden & Syracuse Railway Company, a corporation organized under the laws of Utah to construct a railroad from a point on the Utah Central Railway called Syracuse Junction, in Davis County, and extending westward in said county to or near the shore of Salt Lake, a distance of 5.85 miles, which road was completed by said company in the year 1887.
5. -- The Idaho Central Railway Company, a corporation organization under the laws of Wyoming territory for the purpose of constructing a railroad from Nampa, on the 1ine of the Oregon Short Line Railway, to Boise City, Idaho, a distance of about 20 miles, which road was constructed by said company and put in operation in 1887.
6. -- The Nevada Pacific Railway Company, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Nevada in May 1889, for the purpose of constructing a main 1ine across the State of Nevada from east to west and also certain branch lines indicated in the articles of incorporation. No road was constructed under said organization.
7. -- The Utah & Nevada Railway Company, a corporation created under the laws of Utah, which constructed a railroad connecting with the Utah Central Railway at Salt Lake City and extending west- ward into Tooele County in said Utah, a distance of thirty-seven miles or thereabouts; also, a branch extending from Saltair Junction to Great Salt Lake, a distance of 2-1/2 miles or thereabouts.
8. -- The Salt Lake & Western Railway Company, a corporation organized under the laws of Utah, and which constructed a railroad line extending from Lehi Junction, in Utah County, on the line of the Utah Central Railway, thence in a southwesterly direction to Tintic, in Juab County a distance of 53.77 miles, together with a branch line extending from Ironton, Utah, to Silver City, Utah, a distance of 4 miles, or thereabouts.
The articles of consolidation of the said eight companies into the said Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern Railway Company bears date of the 27th day of July 1889. Thereupon the said Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern Railway Company became the owner of all the railroads of the said several constituent companies and operated the same as such corporation until October 1893, when the same went into the hands of the receivers appointed by the United States Courts in the several states and territories into and through which any of the said lines of railroad extended, and continued to be so operated until the 16th day of March, 1897. In the meantime, certain mortgages upon said property were foreclosed in said courts and a sale of the same made in pursuance of said decrees of foreclosure. At said sale the same was bought in by a reorganization committee and was subsequently conveyed by said committee to the present Oregon Short Line Railroad Company, a corporation created and existing under the laws of the State of Utah, its articles of incorporation bearing date the first day of February 1897.
In the years 1902 and 1903 the Oregon Short Line Railroad Company built what was known as the Leamington Cut-off extending from Salt Lake City westwardly by way of Salt Lake, thence southerly through Tooele and Juab counties, to Leamington, where it connected with the original 1ine of said road extending from Salt Lake City southerly through Utah and Juab counties. Subsequent to its organization, the said Oregon Short Line Railroad Company also became the owner and in possession of the extension of its 1ine from Milford, in Beaver County, Utah, southwesterly, through the boundary 1ine between the states of Utah and Nevada, and thence continuing southwesterly to Caliente, in Lincoln County, in said state of Nevada.
In 1903 it sold to the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad Company all of its lines of railway extending southerly and southwesterly, beginning at the following points:
(1) At a point 5756,3 feet southerly from the north end of the depot building at Sandy station, in Salt Lake County, Utah, along the center line of its original main line constructed by the Utah Southern Railroad Company as hereinbefore stated.
(2) Beginning at the westerly bank of the Jordan River in Salt Lake City on the line of said Leamington Cut-off.
Since the organization of the present Oregon Short Line Railroad Company, it has itself or through auxiliary companies, constructed or taken over branch lines in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Nevada as follows:
-- Boise, Nampa & Owyhee Railroad -- Nampa, Idaho, to Stoddard, Idaho. (Now known as Stoddard Branch)
-- Cache Valley Branch extension from Franklin, Idaho, to Preston, Idaho.
-- Hill City Branch -- Richfield, Idaho, to Hill City, Idaho.
-- Idaho Northern Railway -- Nampa, Idaho, to McCall, Idaho. (Now known as Idaho Northern Branch).
-- Malad Branch (Brighton City, Utah, to Corinne, Utah, was formerly known as part of the Utah Northern Railroad and later extended by Oregon Short Line from Corinne to Malad, Idaho).
-- Minidoka & Southwestern; Minidoka to Buhl (Now known as Twin Fal1s Branch)
-- North Side Branch -- Rupert, Idaho, to Bliss, Idaho.
-- Payette Valley Railroad Company and Payette Valley Extension Company -- Payette, Idaho, to Emmett, Idaho. (Now known as Payette Branch).
-- Salmon River Railroad Company -- Blackfoot, Idaho to Mackay, Idaho. (Now known as Mackay Branch).
-- Salt Lake & Idaho Railroad Company -- Burley, Idaho to Harshfield, Idaho, and later extended on to Idahome, Idaho. (Now known as Raft River Branch).
-- St. Anthony Railroad -- Ucon, Idaho, to Menan, Idaho, Sugar City, Idaho, to Hinckley, Idaho and Orvin, Idaho, to Lincoln, Idaho. (This territory now forms part of the West Belt Branch, East Belt Branch and all of the Sugar City Branch. East Belt was extended from Lincoln, Idaho, to Belt, Idaho, and West Belt from Menan, Idaho, to St. Anthony, Idaho).
-- San Francisco, Idaho & Montana Railway -- Caldwell, Idaho, to Wilder, Idaho. (Now known as Wilder Branch).
-- South Side Line -- Nyssa, Oregon to Homedale, Oregon (Now known as Homedale Branch and later extended to Erb, Oregon).
-- Wells Branch -- Twin Falls, Idaho, to Wells, Nevada.
-- Wyoming Western Railroad Company -- Meyer Junction, Wyoming, via Glencoe Junction to Cumberland, Wyoming, and a branch from Glencoe, Wyoming, to Elkol, Wyoming. (Greater part of this trackage is now known as the old "Cumberland Branch" on which operations have been discontinued.
-- Yellowstone Park Railroad Company -- St. Anthony, Idaho, through Ashton, Idaho to Yellowstone, Montana (Now a part of present Yellowstone Branch) and from Ashton to Driggs, Idaho (Now a part of present Teton Valley Branch which has been extended to Victor, Idaho.)
In addition to the above, Oregon Short Line Railroad Company operates Oregon Eastern Branch (Ontario, Oregon, to Burns, Oregon); and the Brogan Branch (Vale, Oregon to Brogan, Oregon). These branches were built by what is now known as Oregon-Washington Railway and Navigation Company.
The following small branches are operated by Oregon Short Line Railroad Company and form a part of its mileage along with those shown above:
-- Aberdeen Branch
-- Boise Branch (Extension of the old Idaho Central Railroad from Boise, Idaho, to Barber Junction, Idaho)
-- Conda Branch
-- Elkol Branch
-- Glencoe Branch
-- Goshen Branch
-- Grace Branch
-- Kemmerer Branch
-- Ketchum Branch
-- Logan Sugar Factory Spur
-- Little Mountain Branch (Hot Springs, Utah to Little Mountain, Utah)
-- New Meadows Branch
-- Oakley Branch
-- Syracuse Branch (Old Ogden & Syracuse Railroad Company)
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