Green River, UT

Green River View c1910

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Town View c1890

Related Information

Green River, UT
Elevation 5,160 feet.
Population 84 (c1920).
Denver 528 miles.

The city of Green River is like an oasis the middle of central Utah along the banks of the mighty Green River. Temperatures reach well over 100 in the summer and in the winter the winds blow cold snow across the plains near the Book Cliffs.

This is the lowest point on the Denver and Rio Grande railroad, but, it is still near a mile above sea level. With the contiuous waters of the Green River readily available, agriculture and fruit orchards surround the city. The area is famous for its cantaloupes and watermelons. In the fall you can often get them fresh off the farm in roadside stands along the old highway.

Major John W. Powel was the first explorer to visit the area in 1869. At that time the site was called Gunnison's Crossing and Powel passed by on his way down river as part of the great journey he made down the Green and Colorado rivers and eventually into the Grand Canyon.

In 1878 the Green River town site was just a station on the mail trail between Salida, UT and Grand Junction, CO.

Once the railroad was constructed in 1882, the town began to grow. Besides the transcontinental railroad activity, the area along the Book Cliffs had several a large sheep herding communities and Green River was a shipping and supply point.

Today things are fairly tame in Green River. Besides the tourist traffic along Interstate 70, and the agriculture that still survives, there is not much activity. Green River has a number of hotels and motels for the overnight traffic as well as a the only gas stations for 100 miles in any direction.

The railroad facilities at Green River have always been minor. In the early years there was a Passenger and Freight Depot, Water Tank and Section buildings. The rail yard consisted of a passing siding, wye, and a few storage tracks.

The original wood frame Depot was replaced with a more modern brick building at one time. The newer Depot is not much architecturally and unique on the Rio Grande system. Around mid-century the passenger stop was discontinued and the Depot became the maintenance and communications offices.