Crossroads Of The West

Ogden was incorporated as a city in 1851, three years after it was settled. This made it the third incorporated city west of the Missouri River, the first two being San Francisco and Salt Lake City. It was a typical Mormon settled western community of homes and businesses centrally located with farms surrounding the outlying areas. The Ogden River to the north and the Weber River to the west created a natural boundary for the city to separate farm land from land for development.

The dynamics of the City were soon to change as the transcontinental railroad tracks made their way toward Ogden from the east to join with tracks that were also being laid from the west that would meet together at Promontory Summit some 57 miles to the northwest. On March 8, 1869, the first locomotive steamed into Ogden following right behind the Union Pacific track layers.

The citizens of Ogden came out to welcome the train with a ceremony that evening with banners that read, “Hail to the Highway of the Nations! Utah bids you Welcome.” Quoting from Tullidge's Quarterly magazine about the event, “Three cheers for the great highway were then proposed and given, when the wildest enthusiasm and demonstrations of joy prevailed, and the shouts rent the air. Amid the alternate pealing's of the artillery's thunder, the music of the band, and the long continued shrill whistling of the three engines, the waving of hats, kerchiefs, and other demonstrations of pleasure, rendered the occasion such as will not soon be forgotten by those present.”