Travel by Train

In 1872, Yellowstone became the United State’s first national park. Initially, visitation to the park was minimal- only about 1,000 visitors annually- due to its remote location, difficult access, and primitive accommodations.

Very early on, this access was dramatically improved as railroads viewed rail service to Yellowstone as a boon for their development. In 1882, Northern Pacific Railroad reached Livingston, Montana, and soon added a spur to Cinnabar, close to the north entrance of the park. By 1902, Northern Pacific trains reached Gardiner, adjacent to the north entrance to the park. Tourists boarded stagecoaches in Gardiner to continue their trip through the park. In 1898, the Burlington reached Cody, Wyoming. Stage service through the park was available from that location as well.

Union Pacific Railroad extended its service through its subsidiary, Utah and Northern Railway, reaching Beaver, Idaho in 1879 and Monida, on the Montana-Idaho border, in March of 1880. This line was extended to Garrison, Montana by 1883. Stagecoach service was provided from train stops at Beaver, Spencer, and Monida east to the park. The 85 miles from Monida to the west boundary of the park was an arduous trip, requiring four changes of horses. Once train service was available directly to Gardiner, the route to Monida became less attractive given such a convenient alternative was available.

The Yellowstone Branch: Union Pacific at the West Entrance

In 1905, E. H. Harriman, president of Union Pacific Railroad, traveled through Yellowstone National Park to meet with officials from Northern Pacific Railroad. They likely took the main tour loop through the park, stayed at the finest hotels throughout the park, and discussed the growing needs of the increasing numbers of park visitors. Following his visit to the park, Harriman ordered the construction of a rail line from St. Anthony, Idaho to the park’s western border in Montana. This line was to be managed by Oregon Short Line Railroad, a subsidiary of Union Pacific Railroad.

Work on grading and laying rails began late in 1905. By January of 1906, the entire alignment for the railroad from St. Anthony to West Yellowstone was established. Shortly thereafter, the site of the station grounds for the rail terminal was proposed for a location in Madison Forest Reserve (now Custer Gallatin National Forest), next to Yellowstone National Park’s western boundary.

Railroad workers had completed over half of the 70 miles of rail line between St. Anthony and West Yellowstone by June of 1907. Preparation of the rail bed was done from both ends of the line. Ties and rails were laid only from the south end since the train coming from St. Anthony was used to deliver these items. Construction of the line in the Island Park area and over Reas Pass was especially difficult due to the rugged, isolated conditions.

The final line was laid next to the western park boundary on November 12, 1907. Passenger service did not start to West Yellowstone, then known as Riverside and later as Yellowstone, until the following spring. The first passenger train arrived in West Yellowstone (Riverside) on June 11, 1908. A wooden depot and a few businesses greeted the first visitors. Now that the rail line was complete, Oregon Short Line turned its attention to constructing facilities for train operations and passenger services at the terminus of the new Yellowstone Branch.

Train service to West Yellowstone was limited to the months of June to September as the lines between Ashton and West Yellowstone were not kept open during the winter due to heavy snowfall. Each year, staring in March, Oregon Short Line began the Spring Campaign to clear snow from the tracks. Train engines equipped with snow blowers and rotary plows were used for this monumental effort.

In 1907, the year before passenger service was initiated to West Yellowstone, 4,105 people entered Yellowstone National Park through the west entrance. In 1908, the year train service began, this number reached 7,172, and by 1912, it was 10,783. In 1915, 32,551 people came through the west entrance, with 29,706 arriving by rail. World War I impacted park visitation, with 1919 figures for the west gate totaling 23,558, and only 8,897 arriving by rail. Once Oregon Short Line’s Yellowstone Branch opened to passenger service in 1908, it quickly became the most popular access point to Yellowstone National Park, garnering over 50% of all train passengers coming to the park.

Other Railroads

Other railroads also provided train service to Yellowstone National Park. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad offered service to the park at the east entrance beginning in 1912. Starting in 1922, Chicago & North Western Railway offered travel to Lander, Wyoming, and from there on to Yellowstone via autobus through the south entrance. The long drive from Lander to the park made this route less popular than many of the others. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway offered service through the West Gate from Three Forks, MT in 1926, and from Gallatin Gateway in 1927. Northern Pacific also offered service through Red Lodge Montana in 1937, and through Bozeman in 1927. Union Pacific offered service to Victor, Idaho through Oregon Short Line’s Teton Valley Branch beginning in 1929.

Decline of Rail Travel

The Great Depression, World War II, and the advent of the affordable, family automobile greatly affected the number of people travelling by train to West Yellowstone. Following the earthquake on August 17, 1959, regular passenger service was discontinued. It resumed in 1960, but this was its final season.

Freight service continued along the Yellowstone Branch through the 1970s, but this had never been a major component of the Union Pacific’s West Yellowstone operations. Incidentally, freight service was provided immediately after the Spring Campaign and up until the time the tracks were snowed in, extending before and after the regularly scheduled passenger trains. By the late 1960s, freight service was down to three times a week, and by 1973, it was provided on an as-needed basis. Beginning in 1976, the railroad ran one train a week to West Yellowstone. In 1979, the Interstate Commerce Commission granted permission to abandon the line north of Ashton, and the tracks were removed in 1981.