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In 1919, a real estate promoter named H.C. Mears surveyed a townsite at
Soldier Summit and began to sell building lots. The town was incorporated in 1921. There were stores, hotels, saloons, restaurants, two churches, and a school. Growth was driven by the D&RGW moving some of its
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and
Gilluly which reduced the grade from 4% to 2%, eliminated the need to place helper engines at the site, and further hurt the town's fortunes. The railroad moved many employees' homes to Helper, leaving only the foundations. By January 1930, the ward was reduced to a branch.
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The town was finally disincorporated in 1984. Other than the gas station and two or three occupied houses, Soldier Summit is uninhabited. An old two-room jail, a few deserted houses, and several acres of foundations and crumbling walls are all that remains of the former town.
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with Walter S. Groesbeck as bishop. The population of
Soldier Summit peaked at 2,500 in the 1920s, but began to decline as the railroad decided to move its operations back to Helper due to the severe winters and high cost of doing business at the summit. The introduction of
575:
Over the next few decades, the town dwindled away. In 1948 there were 47 students at the
Soldier Summit school. The next year enrollment dropped to 11, but the school stayed open. It was not until 1973 that the school was closed and the last few students sent to schools in
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At one time both the state highway department and the railroad had operations at the summit, but with the exception of a gas station that is sometimes open, the town site is now abandoned. Today it is a popular rest stop and photo spot for
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By 1979 there were only about a dozen adult residents left, but
Soldier Summit still had four part-time police officers enforcing a community speed limit on the stretch of highway passing through town. When motorists complained of a
522:
before them. The summit takes its name from a group of soldiers who were caught in an unexpected snowstorm on the summit in July 1861. These soldiers were
Southerners, previously under Union General
632:
at Helper. They placed the helpers on freight trains to climb the grades to the summit. Soldier Summit is the fifth-highest summit or pass on a U.S. transcontinental railroad main line after
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and the Utah Chief of Police
Association investigated. They determined that the only reason for having a police department in Soldier Summit at all was to generate revenue for
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in the new town on June 21, 1921, with Parley Bills as branch president. The number of
Mormons in the town was large enough in June 1927 to organize a
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train climbing the summit, circa 1915. There are 5 locomotives used—four at the front and one at the back.
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located at the pass. Soldier Summit has been an important transportation route between the
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476:. Located where the road makes a brief bend through the extreme southwest corner of
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are credited with discovering the pass in 1776, but it was certainly used by
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1136:‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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Encyclopedic
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
489:
492:. Many railfans also take pictures of the Gilluly loops, a series of
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Photos and
Railfan Travel Info for Highway 6 over Soldier Summit
534:. Some of them died in the storm and were buried on the summit.
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444:, United States and an unincorporated community that is a near-
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788:(3rd ed.). Salt Lake City: Western Epics. p. 71.
743:. Utah Centennial County History Series. Salt Lake City:
480:, Soldier Summit historically had more to do with nearby
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Helper derives its name from Soldier Summit. During the
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Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures
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668:. Salt Lake City: Dream Garden Press. p. 176.
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552:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
29:Unincorporated community in Utah, United States
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567:, and the realignment of the tracks through
496:on the western approach to the summit. The
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456:, Utah, since the area was settled by the
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141:
31:
786:The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns
502:Amtrak passenger train uses this route.
1196:Populated places disestablished in 1984
989:Map of Utah highlighting Wasatch County
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600:. The police department was disbanded.
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1186:Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
466:Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
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664:Thompson, George A. (November 1982).
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1191:Populated places established in 1919
1181:Ghost towns in Wasatch County, Utah
1089:Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation
882:Railroad pictures of Soldier Summit
922:Municipalities and communities of
877:Railroad pictures of Gilluly Loops
810:"Union Pacific - Route Elevations"
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156:One of several rows of foundations
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273:
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1206:1984 disestablishments in Utah
1:
745:Utah State Historical Society
618:Denver and Rio Grande Western
464:and the old main line of the
460:. It is on the route of both
516:Silvestre Vélez de Escalante
512:Francisco Atanasio Domínguez
1201:1919 establishments in Utah
737:A History of Wasatch County
530:, on their way to join the
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784:Carr, Stephen L. (1986) .
1141:
982:
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835:"BNSF - Route Elevations"
734:Embry, Jessie L. (1996).
546:, to Soldier Summit from
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774:Embry, pp.306–307.
43:Unincorporated community
715:Jenson, Andrew (1941).
524:Philip St. George Cooke
990:
814:Union Pacific Railroad
628:, the railroad stored
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590:state attorney general
432:is the name of both a
246:39.92861°N 111.08306°W
158:left at Soldier Summit
988:
615:
542:, used for servicing
468:(D&RGW), now the
298:Historical population
128: • Summer (
1211:Former towns in Utah
1154:United States portal
925:Wasatch County, Utah
845:on February 10, 2010
747:. pp. 260–261.
251:39.92861; -111.08306
36:Soldier Summit, Utah
1176:Ghost towns in Utah
723:. pp. 807–808.
642:Sherman Hill Summit
299:
242: /
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719:. Salt Lake City:
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594:municipal services
565:diesel locomotives
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169:7,477 ft (2,279 m)
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1162:
696:on April 26, 2014
499:California Zephyr
470:Provo Subdivision
438:Wasatch Mountains
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217:Wasatch Mountains
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520:Native Americans
494:horseshoe curves
474:Central Corridor
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1069:Center Creek
1049:Timber Lakes
1021:Independence
944:
847:. Retrieved
843:the original
839:BNSF Railway
829:
817:. Retrieved
804:
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779:
770:
758:. Retrieved
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729:
721:Deseret Book
716:
710:
698:. Retrieved
694:the original
684:
665:
659:
626:age of steam
623:
602:
582:
574:
554:organized a
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509:
497:
486:
462:U.S. Route 6
429:
428:
174:Traversed by
91:Incorporated
26:
1147:Utah portal
1100:Ghost towns
1081:reservation
940:County seat
872:Ghost Towns
867:Ghost Depot
482:Utah County
249: /
237:111°04′59″W
224:Coordinates
1170:Categories
1113:Jordanelle
1026:Interlaken
1006:Charleston
965:Heber City
947:Heber City
652:References
646:Raton Pass
586:speed trap
528:Camp Floyd
446:ghost town
234:39°55′43″N
110:H.C. Mears
107:Founded by
1132:Footnotes
1108:Hailstone
1061:community
1031:Wallsburg
975:Park City
183:US 6
165:Elevation
116:Time zone
760:July 16,
700:June 23,
608:Railroad
596:through
490:railfans
193:Location
1118:Keetley
1079:Indian
1016:Hideout
506:History
472:of the
436:in the
83:Founded
77:Wasatch
50:Country
1011:Daniel
970:Midway
957:Cities
849:May 8,
819:May 8,
792:
751:
672:
644:, and
588:, the
569:Tucker
556:branch
548:Helper
408:−60.6%
393:−64.5%
363:−69.6%
303:Census
72:County
998:Towns
741:(PDF)
454:Price
423:−7.7%
378:−4.1%
348:18.1%
212:Range
60:State
851:2010
821:2010
790:ISBN
762:2012
749:ISBN
702:2014
670:ISBN
560:ward
514:and
452:and
442:Utah
414:1980
399:1970
384:1960
369:1950
354:1940
339:1930
324:1920
312:Note
307:Pop.
201:Utah
102:1984
94:1921
86:1919
65:Utah
1041:CDP
526:at
440:in
343:319
328:270
136:MDT
130:DST
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317:%±
199:,
1091:‡
977:‡
915:e
908:t
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823:.
798:.
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704:.
678:.
333:—
132:)
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
