Group of Union Pacific Railroad engineers meeting in Echo, Utah, ca. 1869.
Brigham Young signed a contract with the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) to employ Utahns to build the line through Echo and Weber Canyons. Laborers were readily available due to a recent drought that left many farms barren that year. Mormon labor on the transcontinental railroad mirrored the organization of the LDS Church. Brigham Young called local bishops to be head contractors and gave them a section of track to build.
Resource Identifier
ah001294
Citation
Photo File: Railroad-Company-Union Pacific-Officials, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
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