Cedar City Railroad Centennial

All Aboooaarrd!
 

In 1920, it was announced that a spur line from Lund to Cedar City was going to be built. The Union Pacific Railroad built the Cedar City Railroad Depot in 1923. The new rail line served the Zion National Park region and catered to the burgeoning tourism trade along with the iron ore and livestock industries in the area. As a result of the rapid growth of the tourism industry, the Union Pacific constructed lodges at Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Zion, Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon National Parks. They also helped to purchase hotels and buses to provide lodging and to transport park visitors from Cedar City’s depot to the dramatic natural wonders of southern Utah.

The inaugural train on the new rails carried President and Mrs. Warren G. Harding who arrived by train in Cedar City on June 27, 1923. They along with their guests and dozens of others came specifically to explore Zion National Park. 

Over time, automobile traffic replaced the heavy reliance upon railroad travel, and the depot was closed to passenger service in 1959. The depot along with the commissary and the west and east mechanical shops remain the only buildings that document the importance of rail service for tourism, agriculture, livestock, mining, and manufacturing. Rail service in Cedar City for the first half of the twentieth century helped shape the City’s future. It was the rail spur and the train depot that brought recognition from all corners of the world. The Cedar City Union Pacific Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

On behalf of the Cedar City Railroad Centennial Committee, we invite you to join us June 19 - 24, 2023 for a week-long celebration to commemorate the 100-year anniversary!