Colton, UT on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Colton is a ghost town located near the southeastern edge of Utah County, Utah, Utah County, Utah, United States, approximately south of Soldier Summit, Utah, Soldier Summit. Formerly a busy railroad junction on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, Colton is a landmark on U.S. Route 6 in Utah, U.S. Route 6 between the cities of Spanish Fork, Utah, Spanish Fork and Price, Utah, Price.
__TOC__
The site was first settled in 1883 under the name of Pleasant Valley Junction, where the Pleasant Valley Railroad connected the mining town of Winter Quarters, Utah, Winter Quarters, to the south, to the Rio Grande line. This line was soon abandoned, replaced by a Rio Grande branch along a much easier grade between Pleasant Valley Junction and Scofield, Utah, Scofield. Pleasant Valley Junction quickly grew to include a store, hotel, and five Western saloon, saloons. In addition to the railroad, the mining and milling of ozokerite was important in the local economy. Sometime just before 1898 the town was renamed Colton in honor of railroad official William F. Colton. Two years later in 1900 the Scofield mine disaster dealt the entire area a serious blow, but Colton survived.
In 1915 Colton nearly experienced a second boom when the railroad considered forming a division point here, but they eventually chose Soldier Summit instead. Colton stayed a fairly busy railroad town—in fact, the town burned and was rebuilt three times. When the introduction of diesel locomotives began to eliminate the need for helper engines to push trains over the Summit, Colton rapidly declined. By the 1950s most of the railroad operations were stopped and the buildings removed.
The most noticeable remnant of Colton is the Hilltop Country Store, which was moved up to the highway in 1937, but is no longer in business. A few intact buildings and ruins are still found in the townsite itself.
Colton
at GhostTowns.com
at Legends of America {{Utah County, Utah Ghost towns in Utah County, Utah Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Populated places established in 1883 1883 establishments in Utah Territory Ghost towns in Utah
History
The site was first settled in 1883 under the name of Pleasant Valley Junction, where the Pleasant Valley Railroad connected the mining town of Winter Quarters, Utah, Winter Quarters, to the south, to the Rio Grande line. This line was soon abandoned, replaced by a Rio Grande branch along a much easier grade between Pleasant Valley Junction and Scofield, Utah, Scofield. Pleasant Valley Junction quickly grew to include a store, hotel, and five Western saloon, saloons. In addition to the railroad, the mining and milling of ozokerite was important in the local economy. Sometime just before 1898 the town was renamed Colton in honor of railroad official William F. Colton. Two years later in 1900 the Scofield mine disaster dealt the entire area a serious blow, but Colton survived.
In 1915 Colton nearly experienced a second boom when the railroad considered forming a division point here, but they eventually chose Soldier Summit instead. Colton stayed a fairly busy railroad town—in fact, the town burned and was rebuilt three times. When the introduction of diesel locomotives began to eliminate the need for helper engines to push trains over the Summit, Colton rapidly declined. By the 1950s most of the railroad operations were stopped and the buildings removed.
The most noticeable remnant of Colton is the Hilltop Country Store, which was moved up to the highway in 1937, but is no longer in business. A few intact buildings and ruins are still found in the townsite itself.
See also
* List of ghost towns in UtahReferences
External links
Colton
at GhostTowns.com
at Legends of America {{Utah County, Utah Ghost towns in Utah County, Utah Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Populated places established in 1883 1883 establishments in Utah Territory Ghost towns in Utah