Boise Union Pacific Depot Explained

Style:Amtrak
Style2:Amtrak old
Boise Depot
Type:Former Amtrak & Union Pacific inter-city rail station
Image Upright:1.5
Address:2603 West Eastover Terrace
Boise, Idaho[1]
Line:None
Structure:At-grade
Tracks:1
Opened:[2]
Closed:May 1997
(for passenger rail service)
Rebuilt:1993 (renovation)
Accessible:Yes
Code:BOI (Amtrak)
Other Services Header:Former services
Nrhp:
Embed:yes
Union Pacific Mainline Depot
Coordinates:43.602°N -116.2147°W
Architect:Cherdron Construction Company,
Carrere, Hastings, Shreve & Lamb
Added:August 7, 1974
Refnum:74000730[3]
Mapframe:yes

The Boise Depot is a former train station in the western United States, located in Boise, Idaho. Opened in 1925, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). At an elevation of above sea level on the rim of the first bench, the depot overlooks Capitol Boulevard and the Idaho State Capitol, 1miles to the northeast.

History

The depot was built in 1925 by the Union Pacific Railroad, and service by its Portland Rose began with service between Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon.[4] Thousands attended its debut with mainline service in mid-April,[5] including Union Pacific president Carl Gray, granted a key to the city by Mayor Eugene Sherman.[2] [6]

The UP's City of Portland also Chicago to Portland, for several decades made stops in Boise.[7] Union Pacific discontinued the Portland Rose and the City of Portland (along with all its passenger rail service) on May 1, 1971, the day Amtrak began operating.[4] [8] [9] [10]

Six years later, Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) resumed passenger service to the station in 1977 with the Pioneer,[11] [12] Initially run between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Seattle, Washington, it was later extended further east and provided daily service from Chicago to Seattle. The next eastbound stop on the Pioneer was originally in Mountain Home,[12] but that station was dropped in 1981,[13] so the next eastbound stop was Shoshone; the next westbound stop was Nampa.[12]

Forty-nine years after its debut, the Boise Depot was listed on the NRHP on August 7, 1974, as the Union Pacific Mainline Depot.[14] The last passenger train to use the depot was the Pioneer, which ended service in 1997.[10] [15]

In 1990, Boise-based Morrison–Knudsen Corporation (MK) purchased the depot and renovated it to pristine condition. The City of Boise took it over in 1996 and opened it for tours and special events; it is open to the public Sundays and Mondays from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://parks.cityofboise.org/parks-locations/parks/boise-depot/ Boise Depot - City of Boise
  2. News: Celebrate U.P reaching Boise . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . April 21, 1925 . 6.
  3. Web site: National Register of Historic Places: State Listing (Idaho) . nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com . American Dreams Inc . January 9, 2014.
  4. Web site: Union Pacific Passenger Trains . www.up.com . . January 10, 2014.
  5. News: Since 1925, the Boise Depot has stood above the City of Trees. KTVB. (Boise, Idaho). April 16, 2021. August 10, 2021.
  6. News: U.P. trail is direct to Utah . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington) . April 15, 1925 . 8.
  7. Union Pacific timetable, September 7, 1969, Table 20 http://streamlinermemories.info/UP/UP69-9TT.pdf
  8. News: Last court test fails to clear Amtrak rails . Lewiston Morning Tribune . Associated Press . May 1, 1971 . 1.
  9. News: Small crowd witnesses last train leave Boise . Lewiston Morning Tribune . Associated Press . May 3, 1971 . 5.
  10. Web site: History of Boise Depot . cityofboise.org . . PDF . Sep 2011 . January 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140110124535/http://parks.cityofboise.org/media/592398/depothistory.pdf . January 10, 2014 . dead .
  11. News: Amtrak Pioneer rolls into S.L. . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). Smith . Tamera . June 7, 1977 . B1.
  12. Web site: Amtrak National Train Timetables . timetables.org . Amtrak . Amtrak . Museum of Railway Timetables . 54 . June 22, 1977 . January 9, 2014.
  13. Web site: Amtrak National Train Timetables . timetables.org . Amtrak . Amtrak . Museum of Railway Timetables . 44 . April 26, 1981 . January 9, 2014.
  14. Web site: National Register of Historic Places - NPS Focus . . October 27, 2009.
  15. News: A classic rides the rails one last time . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). Van Eyck . Zack . May 10, 1997 . A1.