By Catherine Armstrong|Published November 14, 2016
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Most of Utah’s towns were founded by Mormon pioneers, but one little Utah town was not only founded by ‘Gentiles,’ but was proud of its non-Mormon heritage. Take a look at the history of this spunky, interesting Utah town.
In 1869, pretty much everything in the Beehive State was owned and operated by Mormons. Non-Mormon business owners had suffered for three years under Brigham Young’s policy that Mormons should not shop at Gentile businesses. Samuel Auerbach noted in his memoir that special signs were placed over the doorways of Mormon businesses in Salt Lake City in 1868, so that Church members could differentiate those businesses to patronize. It became increasingly difficult for non-Mormon shop owners to survive.
The Transcontinental Railroad provided a unique opportunity for non-Mormon merchants.
As the transcontinental railroad approached completion in northern Utah, a small group of non-Mormon merchants and some retired army officers got together and decided that it would be a great idea to settle a little town near the rail lines.
The town of Corinne was named after General J.A. Williamson’s daughter, and it initially enjoyed prosperity. More than 500 buildings and canvas tents housed over 1,000 residents. The railroad town had 28 saloons, 16 liquor stores, a few dance halls and a no-nonsense Marshall to keep everyone in check.
Corinne was soon known as the "Gentile Capital of Utah," where miners, railroad workers, shippers and freighters could go for entertainment and commerce. The town served as a supply station for freight wagons, and included stores by Utah businessmen such as Auerbach, the Walker brothers and the Bambergers. The local newspaper boasted that the town contained not a single Mormon resident.
The city incorporated and banned polygamy. A huge hotel was built, one of the state’s first water systems was put in place, produce from Cache County was shipped by banking mogul J.W. Guthrie throughout the Pacific northwest and the opera house brought in talent from all over the country. Business boomed...until 1877.
Brigham Young’s Northern Utah Railroad spelled disaster for Corinne.
In 1873, Brigham Young ordered a single-gauge rail line to be built from Ogden to Idaho. The line was completed in 1877 and sold to Union Pacific. The new rail line enabled the railroad to ship supplies from Ogden, cutting off Corinne as a supply line. Merchants soon moved their businesses from Corinne to Ogden, and the little town soon began to die.
As the founding members and business owners left, Mormon farmers began to move into the area. In 1914, an LDS meetinghouse was built in Corinne, and it became a typical Utah town with a strong Mormon community.
For more interesting Utah history, take a look at this little mining town that became famous for skiing and celebrities.
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