| Title |
Nopper, Gene OH20_010 |
| Creator |
RootsBridge, LLC |
| Contributors |
Nopper, Gene, Interviewee; Kammerman, Alyssa, Interviewer |
| Collection Name |
The Union Station Oral History Project |
| Description |
The Union Station Centennial oral history project is a companion to the Museums at Union Station's "Heart of Ogden" exhibit, which commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the opening of the current Union Station building on November 22, 1924. In honor of the centennial anniversary, Ogden City contracted with oral historian Alyssa Kammerman of RootsBridge LLC to collect fifteen oral histories from community members who shared memories associated with the Union Station in Ogden. The interviews encompass the 1930s to the present day, thus documenting the period when Union Station was actively functioning as a train station and its subsequent transformation into a museum and cultural center. Community members interviewed included former railroad employees, Union Station employees, residents of Ogden, city employees, and museum volunteers. The diverse range of interviewees reflects the diversity of Ogden and provides a comprehensive view of Union Station's impact on the community as a cultural hub and a place of shared history. |
| Abstract |
This is an oral history interview with Gene Nopper, conducted September 11, 2023, for the 100 year anniversary of the Ogden Union Station. This interview was conducted at Ogden's Union Station by oral historian Alyssa Kammerman of RootsBridge LLC. During this interview, Gene shares his memories of Union Station from his childhood in the 1940s and from his time employed in Union Station's laundry room, baggage room, and commissary, as well as Union Pacific's dining cars in the 1950s. Gene discusses 25th Street, World War Two, segregation in Ogden, and "hobos" on the trains. He shares stories of celebrities who visited Union Station, and his time volunteering in the Museums at Union Station years later. |
| Image Captions |
Gene Nopper during his Oral History Interview at the Ogden Union Station, Browning Theater Annex, 11 September 2023; The City of Los Angeles: Pictured here is Gene Nopper's wife, daughter, and father "boarding the City of Los Angeles streamliner for a short ride to Salt Lake City." The Ogden Union Station and its platform is pictured in the background. Circa 1960s; Fine Dining on the Railroad: A menu offered on-board the City of Los Angeles Train. Scan by Gene Nopper, circa 1960s; Working in the Commissary: A photograph provided by Gene Nopper to illustrate what the Commissary at Ogden Union Station looked like suring the 1950s. This photo was taken in an unknown location and is courtesy of the Ogden Union Station Library; Dining Car Delivery: A photograph provided by Gene Nopper to illustrate how the Commissary Personel would deliver goods to the dining cars in the 1950s. This photograph was taken in an unknown location and is courtesy of the Ogden Union Station Library; Union Station Museum: A photograph taken by Gene Nopper of a visiting steam engine to Ogden Union Station, circa 1990s; Union Station Railyards: A photograph taken by Gene Nopper from the cab of a steam engine visiting Ogden Union Station. In the backgorund is the train shed and the Shupe Williams Candy Company building, circa 1990s |
| Subject |
Railroad trains; Railroads; Union Pacific Railroad; Railroad companies; Union Station (Ogden, Utah); World War, 1939-1945; Segregation; Discrimination - United States; African Americans; African Americans - Employment; Railroads--Employees; Postal service; Museums |
| Digital Publisher |
Special Collections & University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University. |
| Date |
2023 |
| Date Digital |
2023 |
| Temporal Coverage |
1934; 1935; 1936; 1937; 1938; 1939; 1940; 1941; 1942; 1943; 1944; 1945; 1946; 1947; 1948; 1949; 1950; 1951; 1952; 1953; 1954; 1955; 1956; 1957; 1958; 1959; 1960; 1961; 1962; 1963; 1964; 1965; 1966; 1967; 1968; 1969; 1970; 1971; 1972; 1973; 1974; 1975; 1976; 1977; 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983; 1984; 1985; 1986; 1987; 1988; 1989; 1990; 1991; 1992; 1993; 1994; 1995; 1996; 1997; 1998; 1999; 2000; 2001; 2002; 2003; 2004; 2005; 2006; 2007; 2008; 2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020; 2021; 2022; 2023 |
| Medium |
oral histories (literary genre) |
| Spatial Coverage |
Ogden, Weber County, Utah, United States; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States; Pocatello, Bannock County, Idaho, United States; Stanford, Santa Clara County, California, United States; Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States; Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, United States; San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, United States; Clearfield, Davis County, Utah, United States; Hill Air Force Base, Davis County, Utah, United States; Vienna, Austria; Seattle, King County, Washington, United States; Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah, United States |
| Type |
Image/StillImage; Text |
| Access Extent |
PDF is 52 pages |
| Conversion Specifications |
Filmed using an Apple iPhone 13 Pro. Sound was recorded with a MOVO VXR10 microphone. Transcribed using Trint transcription software (trint.com) by Ky Jackson. |
| Language |
eng |
| Rights |
Materials may be used for non-profit and educational purposes; please credit RootsBridge LLC, Museums at Union Station, and Special Collections & University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University. For further information:  |
| Source |
Nopper, Gene OH20_010 Oral Histories; Special Collections & University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University. |
| Format |
video/mp4 |
| ARK |
ark:/87278/s6kg48xg |
| Setname |
wsu_webda_oh |
| ID |
142840 |
| Reference URL |
https://digital.weber.edu/ark:/87278/s6kg48xg |
