With the connection of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific, plus other rail lines that went north and south of Ogden in the following years, Ogden was designated in 1874 as the junction location of the two companies; hence Ogden‟s nickname “Junction City.” An article in the Western Galaxy dated June of 1888 commented about Ogden‟s future by stating, “Indeed, the „Junction City‟ has a future almost certain to put in the shade any of her sister cities; she is likely to become the Chicago en miniature of the Intermountain region.”

“The highway of the nations” created the opportunity for Ogden to become a hub of activity in the intermountain west for financial institutions, industrial development, hospitality industries, commercial ventures and an agricultural terminus of canneries and stockyards from the 1880‟s to the 1950‟s.

The Crossroads of the West District is an historic area encompassing eleven blocks of downtown Ogden The district celebrates all the various themes that developed from the “Wedding of the Rails” in 1869. This is done in three ways. The first is through preservation of buildings throughout the district which are physical reminders of not only the railroad, but the creation of businesses and life styles that came about because of the impact of the railroad. The second is the museums found in Union Station that tell the railroad story. The third is by interpretive displays found along the sidewalks throughout the district or through brochures and other publications.

Various sections of the district tell various stories about development and life in Ogden. The western edge of the district is the rail area. It is highlighted by the commanding Union Station Building. Once it was a busy scene of travelers making train connections as they traveled from coast to coast, now it has museums, restaurants and the home of the Eccles Rail Center. The Frontrunner commuter rail station is located here which makes easy rail access from Ogden to Salt Lake.

The southern half of the district is the famous Historic 25th Street which is also a national historic district. Historic 25th Street, or “Two Bit Street” as it was referred to, is a two block area of commercial style buildings. When Ogden was incorporated 25th Street was a fringe area of the community where wooden frontier-style buildings served as homes for a lumber yard, blacksmith‟s shops and warehouses. Change to 25th Street was slow immediately after the railroad came through town. Wood-clad buildings such as the Chapman House were constructed, but the development which is now visible on 25th Street did not really take place until it was determined to build the train station at the west end of 25th Street in 1886. 25th Street became the gateway, lodging and entertainment area for the train traveler.

Buildings were torn down to make way for brick structures that reflected the neo-classical architecture of the time. This gave a sense of dignity, enlightenment and marketability to the Street. 25th Street businesses focused their activities to cater to the traveler. Hotels, lodging houses, saloons, restaurants, cigar shops and clothing stores were the primary businesses on the Street. Business owners and those who lived behind the street front had a broad ethnic diversity and traditions which added to the character and the intrigue of the Street. U.S. Presidents such as Taft, Hoover and Theodore Roosevelt were paraded up the street on their arrivals. People such as Jack Dempsey worked on the street, while Zane Grey, “Buffalo Bill” Cody and others visited.

In addition to the legitimate activities of the street there was a rowdy side. The street was also called “Notorious 25th Street” because it also included activities such as gambling, opium dens, bootlegging and brothels. Madams such as Belle London and Rose Davies were well known on the street. Many of the upper floors of the buildings housed their “businesses.” Stories and legends grew about life on 25th Street which included such things as underground tunnels, bootlegging and other activities, all based on some facts; some based on more facts than others. This created the mystique of the street that lives on today.

The northern quarter of the district contains buildings that are warehousing and industrial in nature. This is due to the easy access the rails provided in transporting goods in and out of the community. The Scowcroft Warehouse at the corner of 23rd and Wall is an example of one such building found in this quadrant. It was built in 1900 as the central storehouse for the John Scowcroft and Sons Co. It was the largest of the early warehouses in Ogden and strategically located to rail service. The Scowcroft Company was among the largest commercial interests in the intermountain west and dealt in “dry goods, notions, men‟s and women‟s furnishings, boots, shoes, rubber goods, hats and caps.” Even competing railroad companies used this area to stage their services as they were not welcomed into the main rail yard as a competing business. The Denver Rio Grande building located at 130 24th Street is an example of this story. Built in the building served as an office, freight station and warehouse for the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. The competition for rail service was fierce and the D.&R.G. positioned itself to compete with the Union Pacific Railroad. This facility was key to that success as the D&R.G. needed to be more accessible to the high volume customers like the Scowcroft warehouse, Ogden Iron works ( A baseball stadium for Ogden‟s minor league Dodger‟s affiliate team is located on the Ogden Iron works site), American Can, ZCMI and several coal companies. As noted in the 1926 Denver & Rio Grande Magazine, Ogden is the, “Minneapolis of the West.” The building stands as a monument of the industrial and transportation successes of Ogden in the early 20th Century.

The eastern half of the district represents the business, religious and entertainment areas developed by those who made Ogden their home. This area shows the attention to detail in the quality of the buildings built and also the various architectural designs popular when the buildings were built. The Egyptian Theater is an example of one such building. Located at 2437 Washington Boulevard its doors on July 3, 1924, the Ogden Standard called it a “shrine of beauty dedicated to the best in art.” Peery‟s Egyptian Theater followed in the tradition of the movie palaces of that era; they were designed to produce a show rather than just showing a movie. The theater was designed in the Egyptian motif following the excitement of the discovery of the Luxor tomb of Tutankhamen two years earlier. The theater is one of the few atmospheric theaters left in existence and was designed to appear as an open court area with twinkling stars in the ceiling, clouds that floated overhead, and the ceiling changing colors of the sunset before night fell and then the movie was shown.

Representing the business element is the David Eccles building at 2401 Washington Boulevard. The Eccles building was David Eccles last major building project and it was completed in 1913 one year after his death. David Eccles was a prominent businessman involved with many businesses in the intermountain west. The building served as a key structure for many years as it provided both retail space on the ground floor and dentist, doctors and professional offices on the other floors. Today the building has been renovated into a Hampton Inn hotel.

This is only a small sampling of the stories and interesting things to see and do as you explore Ogden‟s Crossroads of the West Historic District.