Crescent Junction, Utah
Encyclopedia
Crescent Junction is a small unincorporated community
within Grand County
in the eastern part of the U.S. state
of Utah
. The community is located at 4882 feet (1,488 m) above sea level. Most highway maps use the name Crescent Junction, as the name given to the junction of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 191. Most railroad maps use the name Brendel, the name of the rail siding
and junction at the same location.
which constructed its main line through Eastern Utah in 1883. However the only thing that existed at this location was the rail siding, called Crescent for the crescent
-shaped formation of the Book Cliffs
in the area. A town formed approximately 5 miles (8 km) east at the next rail siding, Thompson Springs
. Thompson became a transfer point to unload goods from the train for shipment to other cities in the region without rail access.
U.S. Route 50 was commissioned in Eastern Utah in 1926, loosely following the route of the railroad. However, the junction point for the highway south to Moab
was moved from Thompson Springs southwest to what was called Valley City. This arrangement existed until approximately 1930, when US-50 was straightened. At that time the junction was moved again to the present site and named Crescent Junction, next to the rail siding, now called Brendel. The junction has not moved since. Over time two buildings were constructed, a gas station and restaurant.
, near the terminus of State Route 279
. Since this time Brendel has served as both the name of the rail siding and the junction of the potash or Cane Creek branch line with the main line.
and main railroad line, many vehicles through the community every day. Greyhound Bus Lines and Amtrak
's California Zephyr
pass through Crescent Junction enroute between Green River
and Grand Junction
. However, neither service stops here, and the area is currently only accessible via charter or private transportation.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
within Grand County
Grand County, Utah
Grand County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 8,485, and by 2005 had been estimated at 8,743. It was named for the Colorado River, which at the time of statehood was known as the Grand River. Its county seat and largest city is Moab.-Geography:According...
in the eastern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. The community is located at 4882 feet (1,488 m) above sea level. Most highway maps use the name Crescent Junction, as the name given to the junction of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 191. Most railroad maps use the name Brendel, the name of the rail siding
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
and junction at the same location.
History
The origin of the town is the Denver and Rio Grande Western RailroadDenver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
which constructed its main line through Eastern Utah in 1883. However the only thing that existed at this location was the rail siding, called Crescent for the crescent
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
-shaped formation of the Book Cliffs
Book Cliffs
The Book Cliffs are a series of mountains and cliffs in western Colorado and eastern Utah, in the western United States. They are so named because many of them have the triangular appearance of a book that has been opened up, then turned on its sides and set to rest on the open sides of the book,...
in the area. A town formed approximately 5 miles (8 km) east at the next rail siding, Thompson Springs
Thompson Springs, Utah
Thompson Springs, also known as Thompson, is a small census-designated place in central Grand County, Utah, United States. The population was 39 at the 2010 census. The town is just north of the east-west highway route shared by Interstate 70, U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 50, between Crescent...
. Thompson became a transfer point to unload goods from the train for shipment to other cities in the region without rail access.
U.S. Route 50 was commissioned in Eastern Utah in 1926, loosely following the route of the railroad. However, the junction point for the highway south to Moab
Moab, Utah
Moab is a city in Grand County, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Grand County. Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors to the nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks...
was moved from Thompson Springs southwest to what was called Valley City. This arrangement existed until approximately 1930, when US-50 was straightened. At that time the junction was moved again to the present site and named Crescent Junction, next to the rail siding, now called Brendel. The junction has not moved since. Over time two buildings were constructed, a gas station and restaurant.
Highways
Though the junction has stayed essentially the same since the 1930s; both highways that meet at Crescent Junction have been renumbered numerous times. The east-west highway was originally US-50. Later US-6 was overlapped with US-50. In the 1970s Interstate 70 was built and the two US highways overlapped with the freeway. The north-south highway has changed number several times, from US-450 to US-160 to US-163, to the present number US-191.Railroad
Originally the only rail line in the area was the D&RGW main line which rain east-west. In 1962, a line - the Cane Creek Subdivision - was built south through the area. The line branched from the main line at Brendel towards the Cane Creek potash mine and processing plant along the Colorado RiverColorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, near the terminus of State Route 279
Utah State Route 279
State Route 279 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah. The highway was constructed in 1962–1963 to service the Cane Creek potash mine and processing plant southwest of Moab. The highway was named one of the most beautiful highways opened to traffic in 1963...
. Since this time Brendel has served as both the name of the rail siding and the junction of the potash or Cane Creek branch line with the main line.
Transportation
As Crescent Junction is along a major InterstateInterstate
An Interstate is a type of high-speed, limited-access highway in the United StatesInterstate may also refer to:-Media:*Interstate 60 , a metaphysical comedy/drama road film...
and main railroad line, many vehicles through the community every day. Greyhound Bus Lines and Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
pass through Crescent Junction enroute between Green River
Green River, Utah
Green River is a city in Emery County, Utah, United States. The population was 973 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Green River is located at , on the banks of the Green River, after which the city is named. The San Rafael Swell region is to the west of Green River, while Canyonlands National Park...
and Grand Junction
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
. However, neither service stops here, and the area is currently only accessible via charter or private transportation.