Lucin, Utah
Encyclopedia
Lucin is an abandoned railroad
community in Box Elder County
, Utah
, United States
, along the western side of the Great Salt Lake
, 162 miles (260.7 km) northwest of Salt Lake City.
. Historically, the town’s population consisted mainly of employees of the Central
and Southern Pacific Railroad
s. In 1936 the town was abandoned, and then resettled by a group of retired railroad workers and their children. No one has lived in Lucin since the 1990s, although the area is managed for migrating songbirds and other wildlife
by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
.
The town was named for a local fossil
bivalve, the Lucina subanta.
. A description of what remains includes a pond
fed by a pipe
that brings water
from the nearby Pilot Range
, a group of trees in an otherwise barren
desert
, and various everyday items left by the former residents. There are no remaining buildings, but there are root cellars and two concrete phone booths.
The original grading
of the railroad can be found heading northeast toward Promontory, Utah
and the Golden Spike National Historic Site
.
The Lucin area is a popular stop for rockhounds
looking for an apple- green chert
-like mineral Variscite
, also known as Utahlite and Lucinite.
Nearby is a large artwork called the Sun Tunnels, which was created by artist Nancy Holt
in 1976.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
community 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...
, along the western side of the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
, 162 miles (260.7 km) northwest of Salt Lake City.
History
Lucin was founded in the late 19th century, about 10 miles (16.1 km) north of its current location, to provide a water stop for railroads to replenish their steam locomotives. The town was moved in 1903 to serve as a stop for the Lucin CutoffLucin Cutoff
The Lucin Cutoff is a railroad line which included a railroad trestle which crossed the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Built by the Southern Pacific Company between February 1902 and March 1904 across Promontory Point, it bypassed the original Central Pacific Railroad route through Promontory Summit...
. Historically, the town’s population consisted mainly of employees of the Central
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
and Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
s. In 1936 the town was abandoned, and then resettled by a group of retired railroad workers and their children. No one has lived in Lucin since the 1990s, although the area is managed for migrating songbirds and other wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is part of the Utah Department of Natural Resources for the state of Utah in the United States. The mission of the Division of Wildlife Resources is to serve the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state's wildlife, and to ensure its future and...
.
The town was named for a local fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
bivalve, the Lucina subanta.
Lucin today
Lucin is currently a ghost townGhost 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...
. A description of what remains includes a pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
fed by a pipe
Water pipe
Water pipes are pipes or tubes, frequently made of polyvinyl chloride , ductile iron, steel, cast iron, polypropylene, polyethylene, or copper, that carry pressurized and treated fresh water to buildings , as well as inside the building.-History:For many centuries, lead was the favoured material...
that brings water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
from the nearby Pilot Range
Pilot Range
The Pilot Range is a mountain range located in Box Elder County, Utah and Elko County, Nevada, in the Great Basin region, near the northwest side of The Great Salt Lake....
, a group of trees in an otherwise barren
Barren vegetation
The term Barren vegetation, or just barren, describes an area where plant growth is sparse, stunted, or possesses little biodiversity. Poor growth may occur due to high winds, climate, salt spray, infertile or toxic soil, or heavy exploitation by man....
desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
, and various everyday items left by the former residents. There are no remaining buildings, but there are root cellars and two concrete phone booths.
The original grading
Land grading
Grading in civil engineering and construction is the work of ensuring a level base, or one with a specified slope, for a construction work such as a foundation, the base course for a road or a railway, or landscape and garden improvements, or surface drainage...
of the railroad can be found heading northeast toward Promontory, Utah
Promontory, Utah
Promontory in Box Elder County, Utah, United States, is notable as the location of Promontory Summit where the United States' Transcontinental Railroad was officially completed on May 10, 1869....
and the Golden Spike National Historic Site
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Golden Spike National Historic Site is a U.S. National Historic Site located at Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake in Utah.It commemorates the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad where the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad met on May 10, 1869...
.
The Lucin area is a popular stop for rockhounds
Rockhounding
Amateur geology is the recreational study and hobby of collecting rocks and mineral specimens from their natural environment.-Collecting:...
looking for an apple- green chert
Chert
Chert is a fine-grained silica-rich microcrystalline, cryptocrystalline or microfibrous sedimentary rock that may contain small fossils. It varies greatly in color , but most often manifests as gray, brown, grayish brown and light green to rusty red; its color is an expression of trace elements...
-like mineral Variscite
Variscite
Variscite is a hydrated aluminium phosphate mineral |H2O]]). It is a relatively rare phosphate mineral. It is sometimes confused with turquoise; however, variscite is usually greener in color....
, also known as Utahlite and Lucinite.
Nearby is a large artwork called the Sun Tunnels, which was created by artist Nancy Holt
Nancy Holt
Nancy Holt is an American artist famous for her public sculpture, installation art and land art. Throughout her career, Holt has also produced works in other mediums, including film, photography, and writing artist’s books.-Biography:...
in 1976.