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| Steam train with Helper Engines climbing Soldier Summit (Web Picture - Photographer Unknown) |
Soldier Summit is both a mountain pass and a town. The town is now almost totally abandoned; however, in 1921 the town had a population of about 2,500 people. There were stores, hotels, saloons, restaurants, two churches, and a school.
The first recorded European party to visit the area was the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition in 1776, and they named the summit "Grassy Pass."
When the Civil War started in 1861, Johnson's Army of about 40 officers and enlisted men that had been stationed at Camp Floyd were ordered to return to the eastern part of the United States. In July they were camped at Grassy Pass when a blizzard unexpectedly started. Since the soldiers had been enduring a hot summer at Camp Floyd, they were totally unprepared for cold weather. Six or seven men and a fourteen year old boy froze to death before the blizzard ended. After their deaths, the name of the pass was changed from "Grassy Pass" to "Soldier Summit" to honor those who perished in the blizzard.
The Utah and Pleasant Valley railroad (U&PV) established a narrow-gauge rail line into Thistle in 1878, but the company went bankrupt and the company's assets were purchased by the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad (D&RGW) in 1890.
D&RGW upgraded the line to standard gauge and connected it to their main Denver-to-Salt Lake City line. Due to track curvatures and the steep grades required to reach Soldier Summit, D&RGW stationed Helper Engines and built several facilities on both sided of the mountain to service and prepare steam trains. (Soldier Summit is the fifth-highest summit or pass in the United States on a transcontinental railroad main line and is still a favorite photography destination for train enthusiast.)
To cut operating costs, in 1919 the D&RGW moved part of their service facilities to Soldier Summit. Housing was provided by the railroad for their employees, but the housing was small and not well constructed. Each house contained about 850 square-feet and the houses soon became known as "half salt box houses" and "squat boxes." Many of the house foundations are still visible on the hillsides.
It was common to have 6-to-16 feet of snow on the ground at Soldier Summit six months of the year. The snow was so deep during the winter months that residents dug tunnels between the buildings - including their outhouses.
In 1929, due to severe winters, the railroad decided to move their facilities off of the mountain; but a few hardy residents remained to keep the town alive. The town's population continued to decline and by 1949 there were only 11 students left in school. In 1973 the school closed permanently.
By 1979 there were only about a dozen people left in Soldier Summit, but the community had four police officers to enforce the low speed limit on the highway that passed through town. Motorists complained about the "speed trap" to the State Attorney General, and the Utah Chief of Police Association investigated the complaint. It was determined that the only reason for Soldier Summit to even have a police department was to generate revenue through traffic tickets. The Soldier Summit Police Department was disbanded and the County Sheriff is now responsible for law enforcement in the area.
BONUS HISTORICAL STORIES & PICTURES
Grandpa and Grandma Hawkins really enjoyed spending the summers in South Dakota, so they purchased a house about one block east of Saint Mary's Hospital in Pierre. They especially liked fishing in the Missouri River because they could catch large catfish. In the 1940s rods and reels were not very sophisticated, so the fishing line would often "backlash" in the reel when casting. However, the rods/reals were still a great improvement over the cane poles that were used for years.
Sometimes we would spend time with both Grandpas. We called Grandpa Welty "the old Grandpa," and Grandpa Hawkins "the young Grandpa." I like to wear a hat like my grandpas.
The first recorded European party to visit the area was the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition in 1776, and they named the summit "Grassy Pass."
When the Civil War started in 1861, Johnson's Army of about 40 officers and enlisted men that had been stationed at Camp Floyd were ordered to return to the eastern part of the United States. In July they were camped at Grassy Pass when a blizzard unexpectedly started. Since the soldiers had been enduring a hot summer at Camp Floyd, they were totally unprepared for cold weather. Six or seven men and a fourteen year old boy froze to death before the blizzard ended. After their deaths, the name of the pass was changed from "Grassy Pass" to "Soldier Summit" to honor those who perished in the blizzard.
The Utah and Pleasant Valley railroad (U&PV) established a narrow-gauge rail line into Thistle in 1878, but the company went bankrupt and the company's assets were purchased by the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad (D&RGW) in 1890.
D&RGW upgraded the line to standard gauge and connected it to their main Denver-to-Salt Lake City line. Due to track curvatures and the steep grades required to reach Soldier Summit, D&RGW stationed Helper Engines and built several facilities on both sided of the mountain to service and prepare steam trains. (Soldier Summit is the fifth-highest summit or pass in the United States on a transcontinental railroad main line and is still a favorite photography destination for train enthusiast.)
To cut operating costs, in 1919 the D&RGW moved part of their service facilities to Soldier Summit. Housing was provided by the railroad for their employees, but the housing was small and not well constructed. Each house contained about 850 square-feet and the houses soon became known as "half salt box houses" and "squat boxes." Many of the house foundations are still visible on the hillsides.
It was common to have 6-to-16 feet of snow on the ground at Soldier Summit six months of the year. The snow was so deep during the winter months that residents dug tunnels between the buildings - including their outhouses.
In 1929, due to severe winters, the railroad decided to move their facilities off of the mountain; but a few hardy residents remained to keep the town alive. The town's population continued to decline and by 1949 there were only 11 students left in school. In 1973 the school closed permanently.
By 1979 there were only about a dozen people left in Soldier Summit, but the community had four police officers to enforce the low speed limit on the highway that passed through town. Motorists complained about the "speed trap" to the State Attorney General, and the Utah Chief of Police Association investigated the complaint. It was determined that the only reason for Soldier Summit to even have a police department was to generate revenue through traffic tickets. The Soldier Summit Police Department was disbanded and the County Sheriff is now responsible for law enforcement in the area.
BONUS HISTORICAL STORIES & PICTURES
Grandpa and Grandma Hawkins really enjoyed spending the summers in South Dakota, so they purchased a house about one block east of Saint Mary's Hospital in Pierre. They especially liked fishing in the Missouri River because they could catch large catfish. In the 1940s rods and reels were not very sophisticated, so the fishing line would often "backlash" in the reel when casting. However, the rods/reals were still a great improvement over the cane poles that were used for years.
Sometimes we would spend time with both Grandpas. We called Grandpa Welty "the old Grandpa," and Grandpa Hawkins "the young Grandpa." I like to wear a hat like my grandpas.
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| Jerry, Ronnie, Grandpa & Grandma Hawkins, Merl |
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| Grandma Hawkins with catfish caught using a cane pole |
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| Grandpa with fish caught using a rod & reel |
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| Grandpa Welty, Merl, Grandpa Hawkins, Ronnie, Jerry (part) |
I could not find a lot of pictures that were taken in 1946 after our California trip, but apparently we had a family Christmas picture taken that was sent to a lot of relatives because a number of the pictures have been returned to us.
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| Wileta, Jerry, Ronnie, Eldon, Merl |
In 1947 Wileta's brother Nelson passed away, so Wileta and Eldon went to Kansas for the funeral. All of Wileta's siblings were there, except for Kenneth ("Jack") who was in the Navy and Mary who was living in California.
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| Herbert ("Herb"), Grandpa William ("Will") Welty, Ralph ("Bud"), Albert ("Bert"), Gerhard, ("Heck"), Quinton ("Cot"), Wileta, Walter ("Walt"), Harry ("Short") |
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