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OREGON SHORT LINE

The OSL was incorporated on April 14, 1881 in the Territory of Wyoming. There were very strong ties with the UPRR. Construction began on July 11, 1881 with a ceremony at Granger, Wyoming. Construction crews drove steadily westward, conforming closely to the Oregon Trail. On August 2, 1882, it was made a railway corporation in the territories of Utah, Idaho, and Oregon.

By 1884, a connection was made with the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company (OR&N) at the Idaho-Oregon border and halting its continued eastward expansion. Ultimately the OSL assumed control of the OR&N, thus giving the UP its desired outlet to the Pacific.

In 1893, Union Pacific was forced into bankruptcy along with its subsidiary railroad companys. The OSL emerged from the bankruptcy in 1897 as an independent company, and the reorganized UP emerged from bankruptcy in 1898. The former OSL had controled much of the traffic that the UP depended on, and the new situation was no different. Within two years, the new OSL was again under full control of the reorganized UP.

Last Update 07/25/01

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