History English Railroad Rails Found at the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Building Relocation Project in Salt Lake City, Utah

Summary

During the relocation of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows building in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2008-09, six old railroad rails were removed from the west side of the building. These rails had been used to prevent cars from hitting utility boxes and other fixtures located along the building. The rails had been placed vertically in the ground with the flat bottom of the rail facing out. Each location where the rails were used consisted of two rails on either side of the fixture and out approximately three feet from the building. All of the rails had inscriptions along their sides, which identified the company and year of manufacture. When these inscriptions were examined, the rails appear to represent not only a part of the early history of railroad transportation in Utah, but also that of the Cental Pacific Railroad, the First Transcontinental Route and an English manufacturer.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Welcome to the Machine: Industrial Sites and Communities   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 143