Echo is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

located in northwestern Summit County,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, United States. The population was 56 at the 2010 census. Echo was founded in 1854. The community took its name from nearby Echo Canyon.

History

Echo originated as a stopover along the

Mormon Trail The Mormon Trail is the route from Illinois to Utah on which Mormon pioneers (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) traveled from 1846 to 1869. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails Syst ...

. Later the town served as a junction between the

First transcontinental railroad America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad), Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line built between 1863 and 1869 that connected the exis ...

and a spur line to serve silver mines near Park City. Since the creation of U.S. Highways Echo has served as a highway junction, where the main road coming from

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

splits with one branch proceeding towards

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, continuing towards

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and the other towards Ogden, continuing to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. Originally the main highway was numbered

U.S. Route 30S U.S. Route 30S may refer to: * U.S. Route 30S (Oregon), now OR 201 and US 20/US 26 from Ontario to Caldwell * U.S. Route 30S (Idaho–Utah–Wyoming), now I-84 and I-80 from Burley to Granger * U.S. Route 30S (Nebraska–Iowa), now US 275, US 6, an ...

and the branch was U.S. Route 530; the modern freeway equivalents are numbered

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

and Interstate 84. Echo was significant to the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. The town served as a coaling and watering station for trains entering Echo Canyon. From Echo, helper locomotives were added, when needed, to push trains up the steep grade to Wahsatch. A large coaling tower and many other railroad infrastructures existed in and around the town. Echo saw the most action during World War II. The introduction of diesel power, especially after the war, negated the need for the services previously required by steam. The coaling tower, most trackage, and structures were removed. Echo had faded by the 1960s, yet was still alive by the junction of two major highways. However, the arrival of the interstate relegated the town to a few quaint buildings; some homes, a motel, tavern, restaurant and bus station. Nearby, Echo Canyon is a magnificent spectacle with its high rock sides and colorful scenery. The canyon begins just east of Echo and ends outside of Wahsatch, Utah.

Geography

Climate

Echo has a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb'') characterized by cold, snowy winters and hot summers with high

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 56 people living in the CDP. There were 31 housing units. The ethnic makeup of the town was 96.4% White and 3.6% American Native and Alaska Native. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.6% of the population.

Education

It is in the North Summit School District.

Literature

There are three horror visual novels, "Echo", "Arches", and "The Smoke Room" by the group "Echo Project" that take heavy inspiration from the town, and take place in a town of the same name.

References

{{authority control Populated places established in 1854 Census-designated places in Summit County, Utah Census-designated places in Utah 1854 establishments in Utah Territory