Heber Creeper Railroad Line, Section from Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park, Between Provo & Heber City, Provo

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER UTAH,25-PROVO.V,1A-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Heber Creeper Railroad grade on south side of Provo River in Provo Canyon between Bridal Veil Falls and Vivian Park, a distance of 2 miles Provo, Utah County and Heber City vicinity, Wasatch County, Utah. Date of Construction: Architect: Unknown Builder: Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway Company Original Owners: Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway Company

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER UTAH,25-PROVO.V,1A-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park section of the Heber Creeper Railroad grade is a portion of the larger Bridal Veil to Deer Creek Dam segment of the grade that has been determined eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. This determination was made on the basis that the segment is a good example in good condition of an early standard gauge railroad line with integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association with the events and context of the time.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER UTAH,25-PROVO.V,1A-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Jonathon C. Horn Alpine Archaeological Consultants, Inc. June Heber Creeper Railroad, Section from Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park HAER No. UT-63-A (Page 2) PART I. HISTORICAL

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Physical History: 1. Original plans: Original plans are not known to exist 2. Alterations and additions: See below B. Historical Context: The Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park section of the Heber Creeper Railroad was constructed by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway Company in as part of their Provo to Heber City branch. Reference should be made to the cover document for this package (HAER No. UT-63) for more detailed information. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A General Information 1. Architectural Merit and Interest: The Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park section of the Heber Creeper Railroad grade is a good example of an early standard gauge railroad, it is in good condition and has excellent contextual and visual integrity. 2.

Condition: Good, except where a landslide has covered about 100 feet of track about 1/4 mile east of Bridal Veil Falls. This has broken one section of rail. Brush has grown up around and through the tracks in some places since disuse in 3. Detailed description: The Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park section of the Heber Creeper Railroad is a standard gauge track set on 8x8-inch treated ties built on a cut and fill grade 12 to 14 feet in width. The two-mile-long section begins at the recreational development at Bridal Veil Falls, the point to which track has been removed from the west, replaced by a bicycle trail. A side track is present parallel to the main track that runs east from a switch for a distance of 560 feet.

The side track probably ran another 150 to 200 feet to the west before it rejoined the min track, but this has been removed. From Bridal Veil Falls, the grade winds eastward along the south side of the Provo River, climbing gradually but continuously. Since it has not been used since trees and shrubs have grown up through and around the tracks in several places, partially obscuring the route. A section about 100 feet long is covered with grass. About 1/4 mile east of Bridal Veil Falls, a landslide has covered about a 100-foot-long section of the track, breaking one of the rails. About halfway between Bridal Veil Falls and Vivian Park are stone retaining walls built into the steep hillside on the south side of the track.

These are made of uncoursed, native stone set in concrete and appear to be relatively modern. They were built to keep loose rock from sliding onto the tracks from the slopes above. Just south of Vivian Park, the railroad crosses the South Fork of the Provo River by way of the Vivian Park Bridge. This bridge is described in detail in this package as HAER No. UT-63-B. At Vivian Park, there is a 720-foot-long side track with a switch on the east end. The paved road across the tracks into the Vivian Park recreation area marks the east end of the Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park section of the railroad. Heber Creeper Railroad, Section from Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park HAER No. UT-63-A (Page 3) PART IU. SOURCES OF INFORMATION See references listed in HAER No. UT-63.