It was a gorgeous July Fourth morning. Shivering a bit in the early morning chill, we sat outside the new Bagel Den in Kimball Junction pondering our holiday. In the distance over Old Town, an old T-6 Texan aircraft was blowing white smoke into the clear blue sky in a warmup for the parade.
Of all our options for the day, we decided to make a run up to Wyoming!
Now, there are many reasons to go to Evanston. Lottery tickets come to mind. Watching the ponies run at Wyoming Downs (they’re racing this month). Making a clandestine liquor run to Cowboy Joe’s.
Our grandson Zach used to love to head up to McDonald’s when he was learning to drive. He kept finding these offbeat routes through the backcountry. I know this because I would occasionally have to make a midnight run with a can of gas or a tow strap.
July Fourth is a pretty quiet day in Evanston. We thought we would visit the Old Depot or the Uinta County Museum, but they were closed. But the coolest attraction is open anytime — the old Union Pacific roundhouse.
Evanston has always been a railroad town. It was founded in 1868 when the transcontinental railroad came to town. Its stature briefly moved some miles west to Wahsatch, before it returned the next year. You can still see an old railroad water tower at the I-80 exit just over the state line in Utah. Thriving businesses blossomed on Evanston’s Front Street.
Water, timber and coal were abundant in the region, so Evanston became a major refueling station. It’s stature was celebrated in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt pulled into town on a train, greeted by The Famous Saxophone Band of Rock Springs.
As we drove up I-80, we watched mighty Union Pacific train engines pushing and pulling hundreds of cars. Union Pacific has long been the heart and soul of Evanston. The railroad company built its first roundhouse in 1871, replacing it with the structure you see today in 1912.
So what is a roundhouse? The semi-circular building, which now serves as an events center, featured repair bays for locomotives. To enter the building, they would get on a turntable that rotated to the bay of choice, allowing them to easily drive on the tracks into one of 27 repair stalls in the roundhouse. It was an amazing feat to swivel around a 500-ton locomotive and point it into the correct bay.
Today, the bright red brick building looks shiny and new. Outside, three old locomotives sit idle while the turntable is on display. And the turntable, so they say, is still operable!
We stopped by our favorite rock and fossil shop on Front Street. Alas, it, too, was closed. So we wandered over to Suds Brothers Brewery on Main Street, which features an eclectic yet fascinating decor of cowboy-pioneer mixed with rock-n-roll memorabilia.
Like many Western main streets, every building has its history. Today’s brewery was one of the first J.C. Penney stores in America. The original is just an hour away in Kemmerer.
The drive to Evanston is one you can easily take for granted. To us, a drive up I-80 past Coalville signals a trip back home to Wisconsin. Two weeks later it might mean a return back to our home of the past 36 years.
But as we drove by the redrock mesas and looked out on the peaks of the Uintas, my wife, Carole, remarked, “It just never gets old, does it?”
DETAILS
Getting There: This one’s really simple — just head up I-80, about an hour from Park City. If you have the time, consider coming back via the Mirror Lake Highway.
What to Do: The Uinta County Museum is a nice stop but closed on weekends and holidays. Walking around Depot Square, with a 1900 vintage Union Pacific depot, and the roundhouse will take you back in time. Strolling the rock shops and quilt stores on Front Street and Main Street.
Dining: We love making destination trips up to Jody’s Diner, tucked away on the east side of Evanston. The Suds Brothers Brewery on Main Street is also a fun spot for all ages, with great burgers.
Kids: Before heading up, read about the railroad and the role Evanston played. And see if you can figure out what a roundhouse is.