Terrace was the largest of the Central Pacific towns built in Utah. It was established in April 1869 as the maintenance and repair headquarters for the entire Salt Lake division. The railroad facilities here included and 8-track switchyard, a 16-stall roundhouse, and a water tank.
The population center supported businesses, store, a school, a public bath, and a justice of the peace (who also ran the saloon). Although all water had to be piped in by an aqueduct constructed by Chinese work crews, there were tree-lined streets in the residential area and a nice town square.
At its peak, the townsite had a population of about 1,000, including around 500 Chinese occupants. The Chinese were generally excluded from the census, and some tallies counted registered voters only.
Terrace was almost completely dependent on the railroad and began an inevitable decline after the Lucin Cutoff was completed in 1904. There also appears to have been a serious fire in the early twentieth century, which hastened the process. The fire was possible caused by a collision between two trains, one carrying explosive black powder.
Extensive evidence of the town can still be seen, including the turntable depression, remnants of roundhouse stalls, cellar depressions, and the cemetery to the east. Please do no disturb these historic resources
so that others may enjoy them.
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