Laying Rails Through Morgan in 1869 Carried Great Impact One hundred years ago the people of Morgan Valley, along with the rest of the world, anxiously awaited the word that the crews of the Central | Pacific and Union Pacific had actually completed the United State's first transcontinental railroad. "Shining threads of steel, linked by a golden spike" now replaced the wagon trails and stretched from one end of the continent to the other. "May God continue the unity of our Country as this rail¬road united the two great oceans of the world." These words are engraved on one side of the symbolic spike. It was made of 23 twenty-dollar gold pieces at a cost of $490. This was truly an exciting and important event in the his¬tory of Morgan Valley. One with far reaching significance to the success of this small com¬munity. In the spring of 1868, the great Union Pacific Railway was pushing its way westward, and by this time had reached what was then known as Great Echo. Five or six miles below Echo the crews reached the one thou¬sand mile mark from Omaha. This spot is now know as "Thou¬sand Mile" tree. This tree was removed when the Interstate Highway was constructed. The people of Morgan were fortunate in securing a contract to grade two miles of road from and including, Carlyle Cut, and continuing westward into town. Richard Fry and T.R.G. Welch had the contract for the first mile, from the cut at the Wil¬liams Point, and Wyman Parker and Philemon C.Merrill had the contract from there on, for a mile. They also had the contract to construct a wagon dugway from the cut east, above the track for several hundred yards The contract specified that the price for moving the earth and making the fills was to be 27 cents per yard. Much of this grade was put up with wheel barrows. Richard Ballentyne and Sons had a contract for constructing. the railroad at the lower end of Weber Valley near Mt. Green in 1968. Richville became a tie center for the railroad. Men went from there into the canyon to get a load of ties and back to Rich¬ville. This was considered a day's work. Three days were allowed to take that load of ties to Echo and return. Wages were $10 a day for man and team. If the trip could be made in less time, they re- received $30 just the same. Six¬teen ties was a standard load.. Hardscrabble Canyon pro¬duced tens of thousands of ties for the railroad. Men had camps in the canyon and hewed the logs, which were cut into eight-foot lengths. Some of the men, after hauling ties to Echo went on to the mines at Coalville and brought back a load of coal. The railroad brought pro¬visions into the country in schooner wagons, with eight and ten mule teams. Sugar sold for 40 cents a pound, potatoes for $3 per cwt., hay $69 per ton, shoes $5 and $10 per pair. Had it not been for the work furnished by the railroad, the people would have suffered dur¬ing the winter of 1868 and 1869. Several men were killed at Devil's Gate while working on the railroad. The road was completed May 10,1869. This chang¬ed the entire industrial history of Morgan County. After this the people were able to obtain more of the necessities and comforts of life. It also opened up a market for lumber, timber etc. Daniel Williams found a good quality of lime rock on his place, and burned all the lime used in the construction of the railroad along the Weber River, used for culverts, foundations for railroad buildings, etc. Hyrum Geary says he rode on the first engine that passed through Morgan County on the Union Pacific. The first tele¬graph line through the county was built in connection with the railroad. The following letter was re¬ceived from Mr. George O. Brophy, chairman of Public Re¬lations Committee for the Union Pacific Railroad: Omaha, June 25, 1931 The original main track of the Union Pacific Railroad was con¬structed through Morgan County in 1869 and the second main track was constructed in 1926. The length of our double track line through the county is 21.35 miles, and in addition to our main track we have 13,86 miles of side track in the county. In 1926 we constructed a new passenger station at Morgan; together with brick platform, landscaping, curbs, gutters, etc. paid assessments for pav¬ing Commercial Street, con¬structed two steel and concrete bridges to provide undercrossings for traffic on Bridge Street and the highway about one-half mile east of town. The cost of these improvements to the rail¬road company was $70,581. We have assisted the county and state to obtain a desirable and economic location for their highway, and have enabled them to secure Federal Aid for the construction of these by grant¬ing a lease along approximately 6 3/4 miles of our right of way through this county. The county occupies with its highways these leased portions of the railroad company’s right of way practically without cost, thus effecting a very considerable saving to the county in the cost of obtaining land for highway purposes.