Heber Utah

Town View 2001

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Known by some as "the Switzerland of America," the area around Heber abounds with farming, ranching and dairy production. The town lies in a lush agricultural valley surrounded by high mountains with plenty of water. The Latter Day Saints (Mormons) came to this valley in 1859 and began a simple hardworking lifestyle with plenty of time for worship. The name of the town honors Heber C. Kimball, counselor to Brigham Young, onetime head of the LDS church.

In the late 1880's the Rio Grande Western (RGW) formed from the Denver and Rio Grande Western, and the RGW had the purpose of standard gauging the railroad line in Utah. It also undertook construction of several branch lines at that time. In 1889 the standard gauge Provo Canyon Branch was built 10 miles up Provo Canyon to Nunn's Park. Construction stopped at this point and did not resume until 1898 under the name of the Utah Eastern Railway. The tracks were extended to Heber at this time and then the Utah Eastern was absorbed by the RGW. In 1921 the RGW was taken over by the D&RGW and the Provo Canyon branch operated under that name until 1967.

The Provo Branch was mostly an agricultural and livestock carrier with some passenger traffic. In the 1930's there were more sheep shipped from Heber than anywhere else in the country.

During its years of operation, the Provo Canyon branch train was known affectionately as the Heber Creeper due to its slow operating speed.

The D&RGW filed for abandonment of the branch in 1967. Traffic just did not justify operation. Then in 1970, public and state interests acquired the branch and began operating it as a tourist line under a variety of names. This has been successful with short periods of closure and reorganizing. The train still operates today for tourists and travels about halfway down the canyon.

The Depot at Heber is a standard D&RG structure with wooden siding, board and batten skirting and a shingle roof. It stills stands today and is easily found.

A new Depot has been constructed for the tourist line that operates today and is located south of the original Depot.