Utah Gazette of 1884 Describes “Half-Mile High” Cliffs in Gate This was written by W.R. Sloan in 1884, in the Utah Gazette: The Union Pacific Railroad passes through Echo and Weber Canyons, crossing the Weber Canyons, crossing the Weber River at an elevation of 5,240 feet. It follows the Weber River down through a valley for five or six miles below Echo City to the “Thousand Mile” tree, where the mountains draw together and the first canyon commences. The valley suddenly narrows to a gorge. The rocks tower to the sky and almost overhang the train. Through tunnels and over bridges this is cleared in half a dozen miles. The mountains recede again and soften down into mere hills in comparison. An oval valley it passes and the mountains again close in or the river, and the train enters Devil’s Gate Canyon where the naked rocks rise one-half mile in the air. Ages ago they presented a fixed rock dam which it seemed the river could never have conquered, but it has. Through the passage made by its persistence the road soon emerges from Devil’s Gate into the summer airs of the valley. One gets only a slight idea of its beauty and grandeur from a ride through it on the trials. The railroad coming through brought many avenues of trade, and ways of making money. Thee was no need of any one being without employment. Cord and charcoal were in great demand; considerable charcoal was burned by Sloan, Smith and Tucker. In reflecting on the past hundred years of progress in the Morgan Valley it is hard to comprehend all that has taken place. One wonders what our forefathers would think if they could see the change in the valley since that historic driving of the golden spike. Those eight and ten mule teams, horse and buggies, oxen, have been replaced, first of all by the “iron horse”, high powered automobiles, busses, supersonic jet airplanes and spaceships that can circle the moon and will possibly land there within a few months. Communication progress has kept pace with the progress of transportation. It’s possible to get in touch, by telephone or telegraph with any point on the earth within minutes, whereas a century ago it took days, weeks, and even months to get messages from one place to another. WE can communicate with our astronauts thousands of miles out in space as quickly as we can talk to our next door neighbor. The “face” of Morgan County has undergone many changes also. The log cabins have been replaced with lovely brick homes, beautifully landscaped. The one land dirt roads have been replaced with well-paved, wide highways. An interstate highway has been contructed that enables us to travel through the canyon in minutes. This is a far cry from the trails and roads that existed at the time of the building of the railroad. The one room school house has long been gone from the county. Morgan has one of the very best school facilities of anywhere I this area. The school and its activities have brought much recognition to the Morgan. Industries and businesses have flourished in the County. The railroad has been responsible for many of these industries. Only within the last few years two new industries have located in Morgan. Undoubtedly our location right here on the railroad was a major influence on their building here. We have received much revenue from the railroad also. Surely it has helped Morgan County to become the beautiful and thriving community that it is. Truly, we should be grateful for our heritage and for those courageous men who have gone before us. By Jolene Price.