41°03’50.5″N 111°32’51.7″W

Within a narrow canyon (less than 500 feet) through which the Weber River, I-84, and the line of the original Transcontinental Railroad pass, is a geological formation known as “Devil’s Slide. The vertical slide consists of two parallel limestone outcroppings about 25 feet apart and 40 feet in height, extending about 350 feet in length up the canyon wall. Originally called the Devil’s War Club by the Shoshone, the Gutter Defile by railroad workers constructing the railroad in the late 1860s, and the Devil’s Slide by the mid-1870s (a more dramatic name than Gutter Defile).

The limestone walls have a Mohs hardness of about 4 while the inner and outer layers have a hardness of 3. Over many years, the softer layers have eroded faster than the harder layers developing a feature suitable for pull-outs on the Interstate. As opposed to the wetter east, limestone is prominent in the dry west. Limestone – mostly calcium carbonate – dissolves (slowly) in water.

Legend – likely not an ancient legend – has it the devil uses the slide every morning to come down to the river to bathe. On hot days, condensation can rise from between the walls – the Devil’s breath warming the rocks.

The Union Pacific has touted the formation as a point of interest for travellers of the line since the opening of the line in 1869.

In the early 1900s, a large limestone deposit was discovered across the canyon. Limestone being a component of concrete, a corporation was formed and a company town – Devils Slide – was formed. At its height, the town had a population of about 500 people. It also boasted concrete sidewalks, a 2-story, 20 room hotel, a railroad depot, post office, and two schools. Being a company town, residents rented their homes. Those that preferred to not pay rent – and had means of transportation – moved to nearby towns. By the mid-1980s, the town was fading away and the company closed the town by the end of the decade. The last resident was a railroad foreman living in a railroad owned home. The railroad tore down this structure in the early 1990s and the site is now under a pile of tailings with only a few foundations still visible … on private property. The former limestone mine is now a gravel pit. The current operation is vaster than the limestone mine and has effectively widened the canyon at that spot.

I wish I had taken photos of what was left of the town when I was passing through there in the early 80s. But I can say the same about many places I’ve been …

In order across the canyon, NE to SW: the quarry, the town site, the railroad, I-84, the Weber River, Devil’s Slide. It’s a tight squeeze. Good place to watch trains if that’s your thing. I’ve done so many times. But that’s one of my things.