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local booksellers:
2501 Wall Avenue,
Ogden UT 84401
2432 Washington Blvd.
Ogden, UT 84401
1851 Valley Drive
Ogden UT 84401
4850 Harrison Blvd
Ogden, UT 84403
Weber County Forum
Miles Goodyear located Fort Buenaventura in the middle 1800s near the present site of Ogden,
Utah. The land was sold later to the Mormon pioneers as they began to expand north and south
from Salt Lake City. First attempts at settling the inhospitable area were nearly unsuccessful, and
the Mormon pioneers were forced to abandon the area for some time.
Enter the railroads and the connection of the American West to the Eastern United States.
In the American West, the railroads brought change and shape to the towns after the Civil War.
The railroads changed the faces of these American towns by bringing the outside world to
previously cloistered communities. Increases in commerce and vice in equal amounts flowed into
these communities.
Nowhere was this more in evidence than the area surrounding the Golden Spike, the joining of
Union and Central Pacific Railroads. Ogden, Utah is located 20 miles south of Corrine and
historic Promontory Point (home of the Golden Spike) where this great joining of railroads
happened. The Ogden Union Station was the biggest transportation point on this route from the
American West to the East and is located at the western end of historic 25th Street (or two-bit
street, as it was known) in Ogden.
Vice flowed into this town in abundance, making Ogden's 25th Street one of the most well-known
(notorious) stops for business travelers and thrill seekers on the Transcontinental Railroad.
Drugs, whiskey, and sex ruled 25th Street from the late 1800's to mid- 1900's. Vice brought
prosperity as well, helping Ogden rival and surpass Salt Lake City as a business hot spot for
several years.
Ogden Anecdotes, written by Irene Woodhouse, explores the first fifty years of the founding of
Ogden, Utah. This anecdotal history book covers nearly every aspect of building a town during
the American expansion into the West. Commerce, social life, dress and fashion, education,
government, and many other details are explored through the stories of people who lived and
worked during this time.
