Soldier Summit - A Failed Experiment

Soldier Summit - A Failed Experiment (HM2BX5)

Location: Helper, UT 84526 Wasatch County
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Country: United States of America
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N 39° 55.728', W 111° 4.815'

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Inscription
In 1919 the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad decided to move their operations from Helper to Soldier Summit to cut their operating costs. This proved to be a horrible idea. The first housing provided by the railroad was nothing more than thin wood framed canvas tents on cement foundations wrapped with tar paper. Eventually the housing would become the well-known company "half salt box houses" or "Squat houses," most of which were not much more than a 850 square foot shed divided into smaller "rooms." It was common to have between 6 to 16 feet of snow for up to 6 months of the year. The 2500 residents would have to dig actual tunnels between buildings, including their outhouses, to get around. This continued until 1929 when the equipment and buildings were moved back to Helper because of the costs associated with the harsh conditions. A few hardy souls remained to keep the town alive for many more decades. By 1979 complaints from passing motorists about a speed trap caused the state to legally dissolve the police force. This took away the towns revenue source and effectively ended Soldier Summit as a town.

Today there are a few residents and a gas station/convenience store.

Dedicated September 8, 2018 (6023)
Details
HM NumberHM2BX5
Tags
Year Placed2018
Placed ByMatt Warner Chapter 1900 E Clampus Vitus
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, October 2nd, 2018 at 11:02pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)12S E 493142 N 4419857
Decimal Degrees39.92880000, -111.08025000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 55.728', W 111° 4.815'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 55' 43.68" N, 111° 4' 48.9" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)435
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 20 US-6, Helper UT 84526, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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