Welby

Welby was a railroad town, and when the railroad left, so did the town. It began as Garfield Junction, a Denver and Rio Grande Western stop on the low-grade line, and in 1908 took the name of A. E. Welby, the railroad's superintendent. The company drilled wells and built a roundhouse, machine and boiler shops, and a water-treatment plant; around them grew a telegraph office, a boarding house, a dance hall, stores, and better than two hundred homes with a three-room school. Then the railroad lost its contract and Welby faded. The store and school came down in 1948.

What the plaque says

Welby Daughters of Utah Pioneers Garfield Beach Railroad Junction was built in 1905. In 1908, its post office was named Welby in honor of Rio Grande Railroad Superintendent. The R.G.R.R. Company drilled water wells, built soft water treatment plant, a round house, machine and boiler shops. Welby had a telegraph office, boarding house, dance hall, pool hall, hotel, grocery and mercantile store, over 200 homes, and a three-room school house. The first teachers were Ann Phoenix, Bernice Nelson, and Miss Johnson. Harold Nielson was doctor. The railroad company lost its contract and Welby began to fade. The store and school were razed in 1948. Welby Camp No. 413 Erected 1981

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Bingham Canyon Mine — 9.4 mi
  The largest man-made excavation on Earth
• International Peace Gardens — 9.9 mi
  A hidden garden where 28 countries are represented in miniature
• Liberty Park — 12 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 13 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood

More markers nearby

• Wight's Fort Cemetery — 1.0 mi
• Broom Factory and Wagon Train terminal — 2.8 mi
• Air Pirates Memorial — 2.9 mi
• West Jordan City Park Salt Lake and Utah Railroad — 2.9 mi