Thistle is a ghost town in southeastern Utah County, Utah, United States. The town’s primary industry was servicing trains for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. In April 1983, a massive landslide dammed the Spanish Fork. The residents were evacuated as nearly 65,000 acre feet of water backed up.
About Thistle, Utah in brief
Thistle is a ghost town in Spanish Fork Canyon in southeastern Utah County, Utah, United States. During the era of steam locomotives, the town’s primary industry was servicing trains for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. In April 1983, a massive landslide ) dammed the Spanish Fork. The residents were evacuated as nearly 65,000 acre feet of water backed up, flooding the town. Thistle was destroyed; only a few structures were left partially standing. The remains of Thistle are visible from a view area along US‑89 or from the California Zephyr passenger train. The trade route on which Thistle lies was used by Native American tribes before the arrival of European settlers. The first recorded journey by Europeans to modern Thistle. was the Domínguez–Escalante expedition, which was escorted through the territory by Indian guides. A small group of Utes inhabiting the canyon frequently clashed with newcomers, and as a result were forcibly relocated in the 1870s. Other settlers included Mormons who originally settled elsewhere in Utah but subsequently arrived to homestead fertile ground on Billies Mountain, on the north wall of the canyon. Homesteading was practiced in Thistle until the early 1900s. The town’s economy was based mainly on farming and ranching, although there was also some mining activity in the region, including a vein of asphaltum that was mined between 1892 and 1914. The named transportation arteries passing through Thistle include: US‑6, US 89, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad’s Utah Division and D&RGW’s Marysvale Branch line.
The railroad provided a meal service for trains until the use of dining cars on the dining cars eliminated the need for the meal stops. The railroads built a link from Salt Lake City to Denver, completing a link between the two cities in the late 19th century. The line branched off from the main line, following the main at Thistle towards the Marysvales Branch. This line was built by the D &RGW, which acquired the line in a foreclosure sale in 1882: 5. By 1890, the line had been rebuilt to standard gauge. By 1900, it was a link to the standard gauge line from Colorado City to Colorado City, completing the link between Colorado City and Denver. The main line from Thistle to Denver was built in 1878 by the Utah and Pleasant Valley Railway. It was built on the same alignment as today’s Scofield Reservoir, which is about 65 miles (100 km) southeast of Salt Lake. The primary route crosses the Wasatch Mountains, via the wasatch Plateau and Soldier Summit. This route was carved by the tributaries of the Price River on the eastern side of the mountains and theSpanish Fork on the west. In addition, Thistle Creek provides a route south towards the communities of the Sanpete and Sevier valleys. The Spanish Fork flows northwest towards and through the city of Spanish Fork, before reaching Utah Lake.
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This page is based on the article Thistle, Utah published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 06, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
