EXCEEDINGLY-SCARCE BRIGHAM YOUNG
SIGNED UTAH SOUTHERN RAILROAD COMPANY PAY ORDER
YOUNG, BRIGHAM. (1801-77). American religious leader and colonizer of Utah. Exceedingly-scarce Partly-Printed Document Signed, “Brigham Young”, on a pay order drawn on the “Utah Southern Railroad Company”. One page, oblong octavo. [approximately 8 x 3 ¼ inches]. Vignette of a steam train in left margin. Folds strengthened on verso. Good condition, as seen, with Young’s signature remaining distinctly strong. “Secretary’s Office, Salt Lake City”, October 28, 1872. Young orders the “Treasurer U.S.R.R. pay to Geo. Swan or bearer, fifty-six dollars 03/100 dollars, currency, and charge freight for mileage U.S.R.R.” Orange, two-cent revenue stamp at left.
George Swan was intimately involved with the Utah Southern Railroad Company during the 1870s. He served as the secretary and was responsible for managing various financial aspects of the company.
The Utah Southern Railroad was built by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1871-2 to connect Salt Lake City to points south. The line was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1875 and a more extensive history of the importance of our piece can be found on the UtahRails website [https://utahrails.net] from which we quote the following:
Early 1873
The following comes from Our Pioneer Heritage, Volume 17, 1974, page 1, “The Year of 1873”.
The following letter written by President Brigham Young to Albert Carrington, president of the European Mission gives an excellent account of conditions in the Territory at the beginning of the year 1873:
“Work has been suspended on the Utah Southern Railroad for some time, through lack of iron. The southern depot is at Lehi, and there is a narrow-gauge track temporarily laid upon our ties between the point and American Fork. The amount of traffic over the two roads between Ogden and Lehi is astonishing, and it is steadily increasing. The Utah Northern is being pushed ahead with vigor, and it is expected the trains will be running to Logan in about two weeks. Other railroads are in contemplation, branching east and west from the Utah Southern; the one up Little Cottonwood will facilitate the building of the Temple by through-railroad communication between the granite quarry and the Temple Block; another will run to Tintic; another to Spanish Fork Kanyon; and still another, beginning at Nephi, through Salt Creek Kanyon, and thence south through Sanpete and Sevier Counties, facilitating the supply of Sanpete coal for smelting and other purposes. Business in general is steady, although there are indications that speculation in silver mines is rather on the wane.”
July 1873
To speed the construction of the Utah Southern, Brigham Young called on members of the wards of the LDS Church in Utah County to build the Utah Southern south of Lehi. As an incentive the Utah Southern transferred over 3,700 shares to the bishops of these same wards for distribution to the members. (Reeder, p. 125)
September 12, 1873
Utah Southern R.R. locomotive No. 2 has had a thorough overhauling at the U. C. R. R. shops, which included the turning of the tires. It made its first run out this morning. (Deseret Evening News, September 12, 1873)
September 23, 1873
“The Utah Southern Railway was opened for traffic to American Fork.” (Our Pioneer Heritage, Volume 17, 1974, page 5, “The Year of 1873”)
September 24, 1873
The Utah Southern Railroad is now running to American Fork city. (Salt Lake Herald, September 24, 1873)
(The SPLA&SL corporate history shows the completion date as September 23)
(The OSL corporate history states that operations began to American Fork on September 23.)
October 3, 1873
“Work on the U. S. Railroad still progresses, although somewhat slowly. We have all, or nearly all the iron on hand necessary to carry us to Provo, and we expect to reach there about the end of this month, or early in November.” (Brigham Young letter to Albert Carrington, October 3, 1873)
November 1, 1873
“The Utah Southern railroad is nearly completed to Provo.” “The Utah Southern depot has been located at Provo. It is to be on the south side of town, at the foot of Main Street.” (Utah Mining Gazette, November 1, 1873)
Just superb! This is the first example we have had the privilege to offer in our 45+ years, and we trace only one other example having been sold, and that was nearly 10 years ago. A choice item for a collector of LDS material, or the American west, and railroads.
$4500.00