Page 16e

Our trip to Sunset, Utah

• Sunset Trip Opening Page
• Mason City to Sidney, NE
• Sidney, NE to Ogden, UT
• Golden Spike and Union Station
  • The Golden Spike Ceremony
  • The Driving Tour
  • Union Station
• Powder Mountain
• Ogden, UT to Fort Collins, CO
• Fort Collins, CO to York, NE

Our afternoon was concentrated on Union Station in Ogden. This old railroad depot sets in the heart of Ogden and has been restored and now houses museums and shops. This magnificent structure was constructed in 1923 when the previous depot was destroyed by fire. This fountain and courtyard are directly in front of the station with a wonderful view of the old-town center of Ogden.

No longer a train depot, the Station houses the John M. Browning Firearms Museum, the Utah State Railroad Museum/Eccles Rail Center, and the Natural History Museum featuring many gems and other mineral displays. There is also the Browning Kimball Car Museum featuring a small portion of the Browning family car collection. We entered through the front door and after buying tickets for the museums we had lunch at the Union Grill.

We were very impressed with the main train station area that has a couple of the benches that would have offered travelers a place to rest as they waited departure and arrival times. Many areas of the station are available for weddings and other receptions and gatherings.

The Natural History museum contains more gems and mineral displays than we had time to enjoy. The picture below is a case full of Obsidian, a volcanic glass material that can be polished and fashioned into decorative items.

The railroad museum houses many railroad artifacts, including a portion of a modern locomotive (background of the picture below) and this reproduction Gandy Dancer maintenance car. It also has several model train displays with historical accurate trestles and switchyards.

The second floor is home to the Browning Arms Museum and is a grand collection of original and one of a kind firearms by the Browning company that had its headquarters in Ogden at one time. Some of the firearms are those used by the Browning family members over the years.

Our last stop was in the Browning Car Museum. The attendant told us that all these cars were owned, used, and restored by the browning family, including this 1930 Cadillac built specifically for the Browning’s. All the vehicles are in running condition and some have been used in parades during the summer months.