Tucker, Utah
Encyclopedia
Tucker is a ghost town
located in Utah County, Utah
, 7 miles (11.3 km) below Soldier Summit
on U.S. Route 6 through Spanish Fork Canyon. It was once an important loading point and construction camp on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
. After the town was abandoned, the state of Utah used the town site for a rest area
. In 2009, the site was buried as part of a project to re-align a portion of US-6's western approach to Soldier Summit. To honor the town, the state of Utah built a replacement about 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream from Tucker, called the Tie Fork Rest Area. This rest area, which is designed to mimic an early 1900s era train depot and roundhouse
, was voted one of the most beautiful buildings in Utah in a contest sponsored by the American Institute of Architects
.
Tucker started as a simple railroad junction, between the main line of the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad and the spur of the Utah and Pleasant Valley Railway, which extended to mines at Winter Quarters
, near today's Scofield Reservoir
. When a station was built here to house the helper engines used to push freight trains over Soldier Summit, it quickly grew into a town with a population of 500, called Clear Creek. The town had a boarding house
, company store, and saloon, and dozens of hastily-constructed houses filled the small valley. By 1900 its name was changed to Tucker, for a certain James Tucker.
Tucker came to an end in 1913, when the railroad re-aligned the tracks to reduce the grade up to Soldier Summit from a dangerous 4% grade, to a more manageable 2.0%. With the new alignment, the branch to Scofield was completely re-routed to branch from the main near Colton
. The new alignment bypassed and abandoned the town of Tucker and an area called Gilluly, although the new alignment was often called the Gilluly loops or Gilluly horseshoe curves, due to the circuitous route it took up the hill. The railroad filled in much of the location to lift the road bed far above the valley floor. All the buildings are gone, and even most of the old railroad grade is covered by the fill. When U.S. Route 50, the predecessor of the modern U.S. Route 6, was paved in the 1920s, the old railroad alignment was used for the highway. In 1969, the state used the site of the town to build a rest area. Aside from a plaque at the facility, there was no sign that the roadside rest stop sat on top of a ghost town.
closed and buried the Tucker rest area to build a safer alignment, with a banked curve and reduced grade. In 2010, the department dedicated a replacement rest area about 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream from Tucker. The structure was named the Tie Fork Rest Area after the side canyon where it was located. The replacement rest area was designed to mimic an early 1900s era train depot to honor the town, including a replica roundhouse
and non-functional steam locomotive
. The rest area was voted one of the most beautiful buildings in the state of Utah in a contest sponsored by the American Institute of Architects
.
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...
located in Utah County, Utah
Utah County, Utah
Utah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 368,536 and by 2008 was estimated at 530,837. It was named for the Spanish name for the Ute Indians. The county seat and largest city is Provo...
, 7 miles (11.3 km) below Soldier Summit
Soldier Summit, Utah
Soldier Summit is the name of both a mountain pass in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah and a ghost town located at the pass. Soldier Summit has been an important transportation route between the Wasatch Front and Price, Utah since the area was settled by the Mormon pioneers. It is on the route of both...
on U.S. Route 6 through Spanish Fork Canyon. It was once an important loading point and construction camp on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
Denver 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...
. After the town was abandoned, the state of Utah used the town site for a rest area
Rest area
A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility, located next to a large thoroughfare such as a highway, expressway, or freeway at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting on to secondary roads...
. In 2009, the site was buried as part of a project to re-align a portion of US-6's western approach to Soldier Summit. To honor the town, the state of Utah built a replacement about 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream from Tucker, called the Tie Fork Rest Area. This rest area, which is designed to mimic an early 1900s era train depot and roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
, was voted one of the most beautiful buildings in Utah in a contest sponsored by the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
.
History
Winter Quarters, Utah
Winter Quarters is a ghost town in Carbon County, Utah, United States. Coal was discovered in the area in 1875, and later that year, the Pleasant Valley Coal Company began coal mining operations. A group of coal miners were delayed during an early winter storm in 1877, which led to the town's name...
, near today's Scofield Reservoir
Scofield Reservoir
Scofield Reservoir is a reservoir in Carbon County, Utah, United States. Located on the Price River, a tributary of the Green River, Scofield Reservoir is adjacent to northernmost boundary of the Manti-La Sal National Forest. The reservoir sits at an elevation of , on the northern edge of the...
. When a station was built here to house the helper engines used to push freight trains over Soldier Summit, it quickly grew into a town with a population of 500, called Clear Creek. The town had a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
, company store, and saloon, and dozens of hastily-constructed houses filled the small valley. By 1900 its name was changed to Tucker, for a certain James Tucker.
Tucker came to an end in 1913, when the railroad re-aligned the tracks to reduce the grade up to Soldier Summit from a dangerous 4% grade, to a more manageable 2.0%. With the new alignment, the branch to Scofield was completely re-routed to branch from the main near Colton
Colton, Utah
-External links:* at GhostTowns.com* at Legends of America...
. The new alignment bypassed and abandoned the town of Tucker and an area called Gilluly, although the new alignment was often called the Gilluly loops or Gilluly horseshoe curves, due to the circuitous route it took up the hill. The railroad filled in much of the location to lift the road bed far above the valley floor. All the buildings are gone, and even most of the old railroad grade is covered by the fill. When U.S. Route 50, the predecessor of the modern U.S. Route 6, was paved in the 1920s, the old railroad alignment was used for the highway. In 1969, the state used the site of the town to build a rest area. Aside from a plaque at the facility, there was no sign that the roadside rest stop sat on top of a ghost town.
Tie Fork Rest Area
The town of Tucker was located near a sharp curve at the bottom of a 5% grade along US-6. In 2009, the Utah Department of TransportationUtah Department of Transportation
The Utah Department of Transportation is an agency of the state government for the U.S. state of Utah. The agency is usually referred to by its initials UDOT . UDOT is charged with maintaining the network of state highways in Utah. The agency is headquartered in the Calvin L. Rampton state office...
closed and buried the Tucker rest area to build a safer alignment, with a banked curve and reduced grade. In 2010, the department dedicated a replacement rest area about 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream from Tucker. The structure was named the Tie Fork Rest Area after the side canyon where it was located. The replacement rest area was designed to mimic an early 1900s era train depot to honor the town, including a replica roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
and non-functional steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
. The rest area was voted one of the most beautiful buildings in the state of Utah in a contest sponsored by the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
.