Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Terrace, Utah Historic Transcontinental Railroad October 16, 2011


Twenty-five miles of driving on the Central Pacific grade took me to the ghost town of Terrace, Utah. There are no intact buildings left in the town. If a visitor looks closely one can see foundations and imprints of buildings in the area. What is left is a historic cemetery which only recently became vandalized; however, visitors can still see some interesting headstones RESPECT America's history. You are not a patriot if you do not.

History: Terrace, Utah, was an important division point on the Central Pacific. It had a yard, roundhouse and repair shops for freight cars and locomotives. At its height 1,000 people lived in Terrace. The town was noted for being one of the only Chinese American communities in the west. The Chinese lived in shacks in the western part of town segregated from their white counterparts.

The town was noted for following strict rules of decorum. First, community leaders taxed citizens to maintain a public library and bathrooms. Second, the Sabbath was respected by towns people. Third, rules in the town kept public drunkenness to a minimum (Information from Utah Ghost Towns by Stephen Carr).

Terrace declined for a number of reasons. It was a railroad town, so when the Central Pacific moved its railroad shops to Montello many towns folk left as well. In 1900 a fire destroyed important buildings in town sealing the city's fate.


Interesting cross

Headstone

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