Blue Creek, Utah
Encyclopedia
Blue Creek is a ghost town
in Box Elder County
, Utah
, United States
. It was a railroad settlement that started as a Union Pacific
camp during the final stages of construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad
.
Located on the eastern slope of the Promontory Mountains
, 15 miles (24.1 km) southeast of Snowville
and 20 miles (32.2 km) west of Tremonton
on what is now I-84
, Blue Creek existed from the late 1860s until it was abandoned in the 1900s.
The settlement was named for the Blue Creek Spring, 2.5 miles (4 km) to the south. Initially a railroad camp, Blue Creek later became a farming community with a few scattered homes and a post office
.
In his autobiography
, 19th century pioneer Alexander Toponce
wrote, "In April and May of 1869, Corinne
and Blue Creek were pretty lively places. At the latter place was a big construction camp generally known as Dead Fall and spoken of by some as Hell’s Half Acre."
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Box Elder County
Box Elder County, Utah
Box Elder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It lies on the north end of the Great Salt Lake, covering a large area north to the Idaho border and west to the Nevada border. Included in this area are large tracts of barren desert, contrasted by high, forested mountains. The...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was a railroad settlement that started as a Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
camp during the final stages of construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
.
Located on the eastern slope of the Promontory Mountains
Promontory Mountains
The Promontory Mountains are a range in Box Elder County, Utah. The range is oriented north-south and has a length of about . The southern portion forms a cape extending south into the Great Salt Lake...
, 15 miles (24.1 km) southeast of Snowville
Snowville, Utah
Snowville is a town in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 167 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Snowville is located at , at in elevation....
and 20 miles (32.2 km) west of Tremonton
Tremonton, Utah
Tremonton is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 7,647 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Tremonton is located at ....
on what is now I-84
Interstate 84 in Utah
In the U.S. state of Utah, Interstate 84 heads southeast from the Idaho state line, overlapping Interstate 15 between Tremonton and Ogden and ending at Interstate 80 at Echo.-Western segment:...
, Blue Creek existed from the late 1860s until it was abandoned in the 1900s.
The settlement was named for the Blue Creek Spring, 2.5 miles (4 km) to the south. Initially a railroad camp, Blue Creek later became a farming community with a few scattered homes and a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
.
In his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, 19th century pioneer Alexander Toponce
Alexander Toponce
Alexander Toponce was an American pioneer in the Intermountain West region of the United States.Toponce was born in Belfort, France. His family emigrated to the United States when he was seven...
wrote, "In April and May of 1869, Corinne
Corinne, Utah
Corinne is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 685 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Corinne is located at ....
and Blue Creek were pretty lively places. At the latter place was a big construction camp generally known as Dead Fall and spoken of by some as Hell’s Half Acre."